[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 7916-7917]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       CELEBRATING 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF REUNIFICATION OF JERUSALEM

  (Mr. SUOZZI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SUOZZI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce bipartisan H. Res. 
328 with my colleague from Florida, Francis Rooney, celebrating the 
50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem.
  For centuries, the Jewish people yearned to pray at the Western Wall, 
the only remaining connection to the Great Temple destroyed in 70 A.D., 
a cry that infused their daily prayers.
  Fifty years ago, in 1967, this mere hope became a reality when 
Jerusalem was finally reunified at the conclusion of the Six-Day War.
  Of that precious moment, Yitzhak Rabin recounted: ``We stood among a 
tangle of rugged, battle-weary men who were unable to believe their 
eyes or restrain their emotions. Their eyes were moist with tears, 
their speech incoherent. The overwhelming desire was to cling to the 
Wall, to hold on to that great moment as long as possible.''
  The reunification of Jerusalem restored the city as a beacon of 
religious freedom for all of the Abrahamic religions and the rights of 
Jews, Muslims,

[[Page 7917]]

and Christians to pray at their respective holy sites.
  We share the joy of our brothers and sisters as we celebrate this 
special milestone and as we continue to strive for a two-state solution 
between Israelis and Palestinians. In a world of increasing 
instability, our enduring relationship with Israel was never more 
vital, and I am honored to stand with our close friend and ally.

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