[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6031]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                62ND ANNIVERSARY OF ISRAEL INDEPENDENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 62nd 
anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel and join with the 
Israeli people in honoring the country's founders and marking its great 
achievements and successes.
  On May 14, 1948, Israel's founders declared that the country would be 
not only a Jewish State, but also a democratic one, where all citizens, 
regardless of religion, ethnicity, race or gender, would live in peace 
with equal civil rights. Since that day, Americans have stood side by 
side with Israel to form a strong bond of friendship. Even as we 
celebrate, we also look forward to the next 62 years and beyond.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to again congratulate the Israeli 
Government, its people, and others on this, their 62nd year of 
independence.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Israel on her 62nd 
anniversary of independence.
  On May 14, 1948 the day the British Mandate expired, the new Jewish 
state--the State of Israel--was formally established in parts of what 
was known as the British Mandate for Palestine. With the establishment 
of the State of Israel in 1948, Jewish independence, lost two thousand 
years earlier, was restored. When Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion read 
the Declaration of Independence, 11 minutes later when those words had 
traveled halfway around the world, they were endorsed by United States 
President Harry Truman, the first to recognize a new member of the 
community of nations, and a new friend. President Truman said ``I had 
faith in Israel before it was created. I believe it has a glorious 
future before it--not just another sovereign nation, but as an 
embodiment of the great ideals of our civilization.''
  The United States and Israel are close allies whose people share a 
deep and abiding friendship based on a shared commitment to core values 
including democracy, human rights and freedom of the press and 
religion. Israel stood by America in spirit and in action after the 
tragic events of 9-11. Israel has been the only democratic ally of the 
United States in the Middle East, as both our great nations fight the 
same scourge of terrorism and Islamic extremism. Like all North 
Carolinians, I stand united with our allies, like Israel, as we engage 
in this campaign to hunt down and punish the terrorist perpetrators. We 
must ensure that those who mean us harm can never again threaten 
innocent American men, women and children. A strong Israel is an asset 
to the national security of the United States and brings stability to 
the Middle East.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to again congratulate the Israeli 
government and people on their 62nd year of independence.

                          ____________________