[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 5606-5607]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                HONORING ISRAEL'S 67TH INDEPENDENCE DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LOIS FRANKEL

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 27, 2015

  Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, every year I am reminded of the 
extraordinary accomplishments of the young State of Israel. See, our 
birthdays are just a few days apart. This year we both turn sixty-
seven.
  When I think of some of my own milestones I inherently think about 
Israel.
  We came into the world at the same time, but while I was being cared 
for by loving parents, Israel was forced to fight for its very survival 
when it was attacked by surrounding Arab armies immediately after 
declaring independence in 1948.
  As I entered my college years at Boston University in 1967, Israel 
retook control of the holiest site in Judaism during the Six Day War, 
allowing Jews to once again pray in the old city of Jerusalem where 
they have prayed for thousands of years.

[[Page 5607]]

  During my days as a law student at Georgetown, in the early 1970s, 
Israel elected an American-born woman, Golda Meir, to lead the country 
as Prime Minister--one of the first women to ever lead a nation.
  In March of 1979, following the birth of my son Ben, Israel reached a 
ground-breaking treaty with Egypt, ceding the entire Sinai--a landmass 
larger than the current State of Israel--in exchange for recognition 
and peace.
  In the early 1990s, as a State Legislator, I took my second trip to 
Israel meeting with many Ethiopian Jews who were among the tens of 
thousands saved by Israel when they were airlifted to the Democratic 
Jewish State.
  While I was back in Florida's Legislature, Israel reached yet another 
critical peace agreement, this time with Jordan, demonstrating once 
again Israel's enduring commitment to ending conflict.
  I remember facing many challenges in my next role as Mayor of West 
Palm Beach but none compared to the daily barrage of terror attacks 
Israelis suffered during the Second Intifada.
  And over the last few years, while I have served in the House of 
Representatives, Israel has accomplished so much even while faced with 
the constant threat of rocket attacks from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah 
terror in Lebanon, spill-over from the war in Syria, attacks from Sinai 
in Egypt, and the ire of a possible nuclear Iran.
  Since its founding Israel has been at a near perpetual state of war, 
yet the resilience of Israeli people has allowed the nation to thrive 
and contribute so much to the community of nations.
  In a tiny country where 60 percent of the land mass is desert, 
Israelis invented drip irrigation to make the desert bloom with 
vineyards and vegetable farms. They now share that technology with 
countries in Africa facing water scarcity where millions more people 
are being fed by cutting water use over 90 percent.
  Israel also perfected seawater desalination which it is sharing today 
with California to help them during their drought. In fact, an Israeli 
company is helping to build what will become the largest desalination 
plant in the Western Hemisphere just north of San Diego.
  Israel at 67 is a world leader in medicine, technology, defense, and 
energy. It is a country with whom the United States has partnered since 
President Harry Truman recognized the nascent state just minutes after 
its founding. And Israel is a country with whom we continue to partner 
because it represents freedom, democracy, and progress in a region 
where tyranny too often reigns.
  As we celebrate more birthdays together in the future, I will do all 
I can to ensure Israel continues to flourish as a Jewish and democratic 
state, and that the bond between our two nations never falters.
  Yom Huledet Sameach, happy 67th birthday to our enduring ally Israel.

                          ____________________