[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5473]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING ISRAEL'S INDEPENDENCE

  (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise to recognize 
Israel, our partner in peace and prosperity, for its 67 years of 
independence.
  On April 14, 1948, just hours before the British mandate was due to 
end, Israel's founding fathers and mothers, led by David Ben-Gurion, 
declared the birth of the State of Israel in Tel Aviv.
  On that day, 67 years ago, the population of Israel was 806,000. 
Today, 67 years later, after many difficulties and hardships, a strong, 
resolute Israel has a population of over 8 million.
  Many of the Jews who lived in Israel in 1948 were survivors of the 
Second World War and the Holocaust, which pushed international opinion 
for the need for a homeland for the Jewish people where they could be 
free from persecution and free to build a better life.
  Since that fateful day in Tel Aviv, Israel and its people have worked 
tirelessly to build a thriving democracy that is economically 
prosperous and at peace with neighboring nations.
  The first nation to recognize Israel's independence, I am proud to 
say, was the United States, when Democratic President Harry Truman 
welcomed Israel into the community of nations just hours after its 
declaration. The bonds between our two great nations, bound together by 
common interests and shared values, have only grown with time.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope, on this joyous day, that we reflect on the need 
to redouble our efforts to bring peace to the region and continue to 
support our friend and ally in its quest for peace.

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