[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 8954]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              COMMEMORATING 60 YEARS OF ISRAELI STATEHOOD

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, more than a hundred years ago, the 
Hungarian journalist Theodore Herzl set into motion a political 
movement that would change the world.
  Herzl's vision for a Jewish homeland would not be realized in his own 
lifetime, but the nation that would become the modern State of Israel 
would have exceeded even his dreams of a prosperous home for the 
descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
  In the nearly 2,000 years that had passed since the exile, the Jewish 
people had remained faithful to their traditions, praying and hoping 
for their eventual return. That right was acknowledged in the Balfour 
Declaration of 1917 and reaffirmed by the mandate of the League of 
Nations in 1922. The horrors of the Nazi Holocaust made Israel's 
establishment all the more urgent, and had created among the American 
people a deep sympathy for the aspirations of the Jewish people. At the 
stroke of midnight, on this day in 1948, the modern State of Israel was 
born, and just eleven minutes later, here in the U.S., President Truman 
recognized the new state, solidifying for all time the bond between our 
two countries.
  A deep friendship between America and Israel is natural, given the 
many political and moral values we share. But our strong diplomatic 
ties were far from inevitable. Historians tell us that recognition was 
strenuously opposed by Secretary of State George Marshall, a foreign 
policy realist who valued strategic interests over humanitarian 
concerns. In this case, Marshall was overridden by his Commander in 
Chief, who, following the Holocaust, saw the moral and humanitarian 
imperative of the Jewish people having their own state. Despite 
President Truman's deep respect for Marshall, it was a decision that 
Truman would never regret.
  The U.S. Congress, it should be noted, had spoken out on the issue 
long before recognition was sought. As far back as 1922, Congress 
expressed its sympathy for a sovereign homeland for the Jewish people. 
It would take two more decades for that state to come about, but when 
it did Congress and the American people were ready once again to 
express overwhelming support.
  In the decades since the birth of the modern State of Israel, much 
has changed. This desert land has in many ways become ``a land that 
floweth with milk and honey.'' In this, it reflects the ingenuity and 
the resourcefulness of the Israeli people.
  Over time, the U.S.-Israeli relationship has only grown stronger. A 
bond that was originally based largely on moral grounds and shared 
values has been fortified by shared strategic interests.
  While some Arab states recognize Israel, most do not. And Israel 
faces numerous threats, including an existential threat from Iran.
  Yet on this day of celebration, it is my fervent hope that Israel 
will soon celebrate its birth as a state that is recognized by all its 
Arab neighbors, safe from the threat of terror. Until then, I know my 
colleagues and I will do everything in our power to ensure that the 
U.S.-Israeli relationship is robust, and that the Jewish state has all 
it needs to defend itself.
  On this anniversary, we send our best wishes and every expression of 
heartfelt goodwill and congratulations to the Jewish people.
  I yield the floor.

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