Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel and reaffirming the bonds of close friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel.

Mr. Speaker, let me just say once again that I want to expressly thank the Chair of our committee, Mr. Berman, for his leadership and for his support in bringing this resolution to the floor.

Also, I want to thank our ranking member, Congresswoman Ileana Ros- Lehtinen, for her assistance in making sure that we can have a bipartisan resolution.

Every now and then, I think we ought to talk about peace. You know, that seems not to be a word or a term that we discuss very often on this floor, so we have a chance to just say ``peace'' a few times today.

Thank you, Mr. Berman and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, for giving us that chance.

This resolution recognizes the vital role of nongovernmental organizations in peace-building efforts between Israelis and Palestinians, and it encourages them to remain steadfast in their commitment to nonviolence, in their recognition of Israel's right to exist, in their dedication to achieving a two-state solution, and in their work towards building trust and cooperation between the two peoples.

Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan resolution is strongly endorsed by many organizations and groups that have been long dedicated to the cause of peace, justice and of reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. I'd like to mention for a minute the supporters of this resolution:

The Churches for Middle East Peace, which is a coalition of 22 public policy offices of national churches and agencies--Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant--working to realize the vision of a region where two viable states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side within secure and recognized borders; the Alliance for Middle East Peace, which is an alliance of 57 NGOs that are promoting people-to-people coexistence, cooperation and reconciliation between Israelis, Palestinians, Arabs, and Jews in the Middle East; the Israel Policy Forum, which is an independent, nonpartisan organization advocating for sustained American, diplomatic efforts to end the conflict between Israel and her neighbors and to actively promote the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and the Middle East Policy Advisory Committee, which is a coalition of organizations that my congressional district formed to bring a just peace between Palestinians and Israelis.

Mr. Speaker, in a region that has suffered so much loss and seemingly interminable conflict, these efforts are critically important in addressing the daily struggles and challenges faced by Israelis and Palestinians.

Sixty years ago, the great Senator Hubert Humphrey said that people are the issue of the 20th century. I might add now the well-being of people is the critical issue of the 21st century, and peace is needed for people to flourish.

As the great theologian Saint Augustine reminds us, peace is the necessary condition in which people can be free to work out in their private destiny.

That's why it's fitting and proper to recognize, as my resolution does, the efforts of Israeli and Palestinian individuals and of nongovernmental organizations that have been working, really, for decades to build bridges between the two peoples--to address humanitarian concerns and to further the cause of peace.

Although the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has cost too many innocent lives and though it continues to bring terrible sufferance to both peoples, we can all be thankful that there are many nongovernmental organizations comprised of men and women of goodwill, working to build schools and hospitals, to foster cultural exchanges, to increase commercial ties, economic development, and to promote interreligious dialogue and understanding.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is currently at a critical juncture. Sustained progress toward peace depends on the commitment of individuals and of organizations that choose dialogue, friendship and openness.

So this amendment recognizes the efforts of those unsung heroes and sheroes, and it encourages them to continue their important work.

It also salutes them for their commitment to nonviolence, to the recognition of Israel's right to exist and to their dedication to achieve a two-state solution.

I would like to thank our staff, Mr. Berman. I would like to thank Alan Makovsky and Matthew Zweig of the staff of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and I would also like to thank Gregory Berry and Scott Exner on my staff.

This is the spirit in which I hope we can move forward in terms of nongovernmental peace builders and move

toward achieving a just and lasting peace. Let's be cognizant of the fact today that peace is possible.

Thank you, Mr. Berman. Thank you, Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. I thank the committee for the resolution.

The Rebuilding Alliance,

Palo Alto, CA, September 23, 2008.

Dear Representative, I am very proud to support H. Res

1369, a positive and constructive resolution to advance the

cause of peace and justice in Israel and Palestine and I urge

you to vote for it. I am really proud that Representative Lee

was willing to work with us at the Rebuilding Alliance and

the Middle East Policy Advisory Committee to bring this

resolution to the floor.

At its heart, H. Res. 1369 recognizes those people--

Israelis and Palestinians-- who continue to pursue peace and

justice with every breath they take, despite their own

overwhelming personal losses. These are the people who make a

difference in their communities, and it is to them we offer

encouragement. Let me tell you about some of them:

I want Congress to care about the peacemakers in the

Village of Al Aqabah and all those who seek to help them:

Last week, Mayor Haj Sami Sadik came, in his wheelchair, to

Washington DC to meet with Congressional and Senate staff. He

is the mayor of the Palestinian West Bank Village of Al

Aqabah and he came to ask your help to save his kindergarten

and village from demolition. Israeli Architect Shmuel Groag,

a founder of BIMKOM: Planners for Planning Rights, joined

him, along with me, American Donna Baranski-Walker, executive

director of the Rebuilding Alliance, the SF Bay Area

nonprofit that helped the village build their kindergarten

and brought them here to ask Americans to help save it.

I care about Al Aqabah. I care about their kindergarten

with 130 students. The village holds full title to its land,

without question--and they even won an earlier case before

the Israeli High Court of Justice to remove the Israeli

Army's training camp from the village gates. As they were

rebuilding their kindergarten, the Israeli Army issued

demolition orders against the kindergarten, the medical

center, the mosque, and nearly all the homes in the village.

The village held to their belief that justice will prevail as

Mayor Haj Sami Sadik again petitioned the Israeli High Court

of Justice to recognize their village's right to exist. Now

he filed the village's own master plan with the Israeli

Army's Civil Authority and asks the world's help to see the

village's plan approved, and to help his village thrive.

I care about the Rachel Corrie Charity in Rafah, Gaza,

holding their soccer tournament on the land where 2200

Palestinian homes once stood, as a way to build community and

goodwill near a very traumatized refugee camp. The Rebuilding

Alliance brought one of the founders of this group, Khaled

Nasrallah, to the U.S., joining Cindy and Craig Corrie,

parents of the late American Rachel Corrie, in a six-state

speaking tour three years ago. The Rachel Corrie Charity is

being sponsored by the Gaza Community Mental Health

Organization, a Palestinian non-governmental organization

that deeply opposes violence and is itself an outspoken

advocate of freedom, fairness, and democracy--and many

congressional staff met with one of the founders of Gaza

Community Mental Health Programme, Mr. Husam El Nounou, along

with Rebuilding Alliance board member from Jerusalem, Rabbi

Jeremy Milgrom, helping Mr. El Nounou return home when the

Gaza's borders were first blockaded in 2006.

I care about the Free Gaza Movement and the Americans,

Internationals, Israelis, and Palestinians who worked

together to steer their boats through international waters to

break the siege of Gaza last month. My friend and

Representative Lee's constituent, Paul Larudee, was on one of

those boats. It is important to recognize their nonviolent

activism and urge an end to the collective punishment of 1.4

million people in Gaza and speak out against using blockades

and siege as tools of diplomacy.

I care about the Israeli and Palestinian peacemakers who

are part of a group called Combatants for Peace. These are

Israeli former soldiers and Palestinians who have been in

Israeli jails who now pledge not to use violence, but instead

to work together for peace and justice. Their Palestinian

cofounder, Bassam Aramin, lost his daughter Abir to a

soldier's rubber coated bullet. Their Israeli cofounder, Elik

Elhanan, lost his sister when a suicide bomber detonated.

Together they and 500 more like them, choose peace.

Combatants for Peace has launched the Abir's Garden Project

to build playgrounds at Palestinian schools in memory of Abir

Aramin.

These are but four groups working to bring about a real

peace in Israel and Palestine. I look forward to inviting all

the peacemakers in each congressional district to forums with

their Representatives to describe their work for peace in

Israel and Palestine. Honorable Representatives, I hope each

of you will send letters of encouragement to those

Peacemakers in Israel and Palestine who they support.

H.Res 1369 moves beyond condemnation to begin a process of

recognition and encouragement.

I believe that this form of recognition can open doors and

I urge your support. To the peacemakers, may you know that

your work makes a difference. May you continue your efforts

and may the Congress of the United States join you to help

you realize your goals. To the honorable members of the U.S.

House of Representatives, I urge you to vote for H.Res. 1369

and recognize these and many more peacemakers in Israel and

Palestine. Please use your influence to keep them safe, help

them achieve their goals, and press for a negotiated peace

agreement between Israel and Palestine that is viable and

fair to all.

Sincerely,

Donna Baranski-Walker,

Executive Director of the Rebuilding Alliance.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 322) recognizing the 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel and reaffirming the bonds of close friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds. I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 322 which recognizes the 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel and reaffirms the bonds of close friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, in the 60 years since the founding of our ally Israel, the United States has had no greater friend in the Middle East. U.S.- Israeli friendship is based first and foremost on shared democratic values and our mutual pursuit of peace and stability in the Middle East, and it is buttressed by our Nation's unshakable commitment to Israel's security.

The remarkable story to Israel's foundation and survival is inspiring. Shortly after the decision by the United Nations to partition the British Mandate of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948, in Tel Aviv. In response, Israel's Arab neighbors invaded the new and tiny Jewish state. And to the surprise of the so-called experts and pundits everywhere, the nascent Israel Defense Forces prevailed, defending the people of Israel and soundly defeating the Arab coalition.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the emergence of the State of Israel ``a miracle of the 20th century.'' However, Golda Meier once remarked that there had been ``too much self-sacrifice and too many lives lost for Israel's emergence to be considered a miracle.''

But the establishment and the evolution of the State of Israel can be considered, without doubt, one of the dazzling human achievements of our times.

Hundreds of thousands of Jews and their descendants escaped oppression, or worse, because Israel exists. Spurning the authoritarian model that dominates its region, and persevering in a sea of enmity, Israel has built a world-class civilization, a vibrant democracy, a thriving economy, and a culturally and academically rich society.

The American people, and particularly the United States Congress, have contributed mightily to Israel's sustenance and security over the years. Of that we are justifiably proud.

But Israel's triumphant story is also tinged with tragedy. Each year just before its independence day, Israel honors soldiers who have fallen in its defense. A siren sounds all over the nation, and Israelis everywhere stop to remember. This minute of silence is a poignant memory for all who have witnessed it. But it is also, unfortunately, symbolic of Israel's wider regional reality for Israel has lived under the Damoclesian threat since its birth.

For years the Arab world sought to drive Israel into the sea. But eventually, after much death and destruction, the visionary Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat, and the wise Jordanian, King Hussein, recognized the value of peace and coexistence with Israel. And although much of the Arab world's economic, cultural and political boycott of Israel remains intact and terrorism has never ceased, the prospect of a collective military attack on Israel fortunately has faded in recent years.

Nevertheless, Israel today lives under potentially greater threats to its well-being and existence than ever before. The daily rocket assaults from Gaza, controlled by fundamentalist Hamas, have reaped vast physical and psychological damage on the people of Sderot, not to mention the fact that they have killed more than a dozen Israelis. And increasingly, sophisticated rockets are being used. They are more deadly accurate by the day, and they have greater range. In Israel's north, Hezbollah's replenished missile supply poses an even greater threat.

On the other end of the military spectrum, a theologically based state, the Islamic Republic of Iran whose president says Israel should be wiped off the map, is developing nuclear

weapons and long-range missiles. Now is not the time to go into details about these threats. This body has spoken specifically to each of these dangers in the relatively recent past, and will do so again.

Now it is time to reaffirm our Nation's pledge to Israel that we will stand in solidarity with Israel against all violent assaults on its security and well-being. And most of all, it is time to say to our friend and ally, Israel, congratulations on your incredible social, political, economic, and technological achievements in the face of the most stupefying odds. We in the United States could not be prouder of our special relationship with you.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to recognize the chief sponsor of this resolution, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a stalwart supporter of the State of Israel for all of her political life that I have known her, for 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, I'm privileged to recognize for 1 minute a gentleman who has probably done as much as anyone in this House to promote the U.S.-Israeli relationship, including his own personal missions that he leads there, the majority leader, Mr. Hoyer of Maryland.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the majority whip for the House of Representatives, Representative Clyburn of South Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey, a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sires.

Mr. Speaker, I am now pleased to yield 2 minutes to the vice chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Klein).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the chairwoman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment, the gentlelady from California (Ms. Harman).

I yield the gentlelady 2 additional minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from New York, the chairman of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee and a very knowledgeable and supportive advocate for the U.S.-Israel relationship, Mrs. Lowey.

I yield myself the balance of my time.

As Speaker Pelosi indicated in her own comments, the person that I think all of us in this Chamber miss very much in not being able to manage this resolution because of his own background and his own deep love and commitment for the State of Israel was our late chairman, Tom Lantos. This would have been something that he would have been personally very gratified with, and certainly wanted to join in the trip that the Speaker will be leading to the State of Israel in the next couple of weeks to help celebrate this anniversary. And so I think it's fair to say that everyone in the Chamber wishes that things might have been different, that he might have been here himself to manage this resolution. And we are looking forward to a group that the Speaker will be taking to Israel to actually personally participate in that celebration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bipartisan House Leadership Resolution, H. Con. Res. 322, of which I am a cosponsor, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel.

In 1947, the year I was born, the area now known as Israel was about to go through a birth of its own. In 1948, with the founding of the only Jewish state to ever exist in history, Jews found that their new homeland was filled with sand and little water, but it was also filled with great hope and resolve. Following the murder of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust, this small country would soon become a homeland for another 6 million Jews, free to practice Judaism, but still targeted for their faith.

While Israel was formed, Jews all over the Middle East were facing a crisis of their own; Jewish refugees in Arab lands were expelled systematically, under an official regime policy which included anti- Jewish decrees, pogroms, murders and hangings, anti-Semitic incitement and ethnic cleansing. The Arab League's 1947 decree provided a formula for state-sanctioned discriminatory measures, replicated in many Arab countries, in a deliberate campaign to expel the Jewish refugees from their home countries. Unlike the Palestinians, the Jewish refugees were absorbed into their new host countries, mostly by Israel. About 600,000 stayed in Israel and the remaining 300,000 fled to other countries, such as France, Canada, Italy, and the United States. In Israel today, the Jewish refugees from Arab countries and their children comprise the majority of the Jewish population.

This House recently adopted my resolution, H. Res. 185, urging that the rights of Jewish refugees be recognized in any future comprehensive Middle East settlement. We are continually working to ensure that any Middle East peace agreement is just, fully just to all parties.

This is a continual process. From its first day, Israel has fought for its right to exist when it was attacked by its Arab neighbors. Since then, continuous wars have been waged, all aiming to destroy the Jewish state

and its people. At times, mothers and fathers have had to buy gas masks for their children; young children have had to celebrate their birthdays in bomb shelters. Despite this, families have shared laughter on the beaches of the Mediterranean; young couples have danced on the rooftops of Jerusalem. That all of these times have been simultaneous is a testament to the strength and determination for not only the State of Israel, but for humanity.

Following their independence, Israel's people, driven to immigrate for fear of persecution and for their ideological dreams, struggled with basic life, rationing food and living in makeshift shelters. The early immigrants began building the land, irrigating, planting, and educating their children. Working in the sun, Israel's wrinkles began to show the stress, but the outcome can be seen today; flowers and olive trees on the hillsides and universities at full capacity. In cooperation with the United States and other countries, innovations by Israelis in science, energy, agriculture, technology, and medicine have been felt around the world.

Today, the country is flowing with milk and honey, as a nation of immigrants and a home for the persecuted. But it is also facing much hardship. Like the United States, Israel was founded by immigrants escaping persecution and wanting to live in peace. But while Israel remains a sanctuary for Judaism, it remains a dangerous place to be a Jew.

In its 60th year, Israel faces some of its greatest challenges and needs its allies and friends more than ever. The Middle East is still a very dangerous place, and scapegoating Israel is still a very convenient means of holding power for some very dangerous autocrats. Such tactics are deplorable, and we must do everything we can to stop them.

While some Arab states have been working with us to respond to Iran's vicious lies and rhetoric, we must also continue to demand that Israel, our democratic ally, be recognized by these very states. And we must call for the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli soldiers kidnapped and held captive by Hamas and Hezbollah, which is called for by H. Res. 107, a bill I cosponsored.

Indeed, Israel is now at a critical crossroads. We hope for the best, but we remain mindful that peace cannot be achieved unless sincere and substantive acts are forthcoming from the Palestinians. Terror must come to an end, as must incitement. At middle age, and I speak of personal experience, as I am also marking my 60th year, one must take stock of their past and look forward to the future. The Israeli State and its people continue to work to preserve its foundation as a Jewish state with Jewish values, while they live in a region where the very idea of the existence of a Jewish state continues to be challenged. As Israel looks toward the future, integrating its immigrants, expanding its economy, preserving its heritage, and providing foreign assistance and refuge to Jews throughout the world, the United States will stand alongside her in her quest for peace and prosperity.

We hope to learn from each other; Israel continues to fight terror alongside the United States and stands as an example of how to balance civil liberties and security, religious freedom and the expression of religious values in its economic and political structure. Like the United States, the Jewish democratic State has a robust freedom of press that serves to teach the public and government how to better itself, and an independent judiciary which seeks to preserve the liberties for which it has fought.

The relationship the United States has with Israel is special; we have more in common than we do apart, and we continue to work in cooperation to achieve the broader goals of a peaceful future for our children and grandchildren. As we grow together as democratic nations facing challenging times, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution acknowledging the special bonds of friendship the United States shares with our only democratic ally in the Middle East, Israel. I thank our leadership for sponsoring this resolution and I strongly urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity to share my strong support for Israel upon its 60th anniversary and to remind the House of Missouri's unique connection to the creation of Israel--a critical democratic ally of the United States.

President Harry S. Truman, Missouri's favorite son and the 33rd President of the United

States, was a long-time supporter of establishing a Jewish homeland and worked as President to ensure Israel's creation.

A supporter of the Balfour Declaration, a British statement issued in 1917 that endorsed the establishment of a Jewish national homeland in Palestine, when Harry S. Truman became President of the United States in 1945, he made clear his sympathy for the Jewish people and his concern for the sufferings they had endured during the Nazi Holocaust.

In 1946, President Truman urged British Prime Minister Clement Attlee to allow a reasonable number of European Jews to immigrate to British- controlled Palestine. The governments of the United States and Great Britain created the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry to study the situation. The Committee recommended that the United Nations establish a trusteeship over Palestine, with the goal of reconciling Jewish and Arab interests in the region. The Committee also agreed that 100,000 Jewish displaced persons should be admitted to Palestine. On the eve of Yom Kippur in 1946, President Truman issued a statement supporting these recommendations.

In response to a British request, the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine was created in May 1947. This Committee recommended that the British mandate over Palestine be terminated and that the area be partitioned into separate Jewish and Arab states. President Truman forced a reluctant U.S. State Department to support this plan. On November 29, 1947, the partition plan was approved by the U.N. General Assembly, thanks in large measure to vigorous American support. Palestinian Arabs and Arab governments remained strongly opposed to partition, and efforts to find a peaceful settlement disintegrated.

In February 1948, President Truman's close friend and former business partner, Eddie Jacobson, himself a Jewish person, sent Truman a telegram asking him to meet with Chaim Weizmann, the president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine and the World Zionist Organization. Angered by criticism from some American Jewish leaders, President Truman refused to meet with Mr. Weizmann. In March 1948, Mr. Jacobson walked into the White House without an appointment and pleaded with his old friend to meet with Weizmann. The President relented, and when Weizmann came to the White House a few days later, Truman assured him that the United States would continue to support the partition of Palestine and the creation of a Jewish state.

At midnight on May 14, 1948, the British mandate over Palestine expired and the new State of Israel was proclaimed. Eleven minutes later, by order of President Harry S. Truman, the United States granted diplomatic recognition to the new Provisional Government of Israel. Following Israel's declaration of independence, Arab armies invaded the new nation, and a long and continuing struggle for security began for Israel.

Mr Speaker, throughout the time I have been privileged to serve in Congress, I have worked to foster a strong alliance between the United States and Israel. I am proud that Missouri's favorite son, Harry S. Truman, was first to recognize Israel and that our Nation has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with that country for these 60 years.

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations and best wishes to the State of Israel and to her people on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel.

Last August, I had the honor of going on an enlightening and humbling visit to Israel.

As a child, I had heard the stories of Israel from my mother. I pictured busy markets and crowded streets, and men with yarmulkes in synagogues. Visiting the Holy Land was the experience of a lifetime, and I was entranced by the sheer beauty of the living history that surrounded me.

However, as I made my way through the striking juxtaposition of modern and ancient architecture, I worried that I might find a grim reminder of what this cherished place might become after years of fighting.

One mother with whom I spoke told me a sobering story. While driving in Israel with her family, as we do here everyday, a rocket exploded next to her family's car. Without thinking, she jumped over the front seat to cover her children from the shrapnel and smoke that filled the air around them. Protecting her children was all she could think to do--in Israel this is a conditioned response, a learned reflex.

Israelis want to live in peace. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told me that Israel is willing to make changes in the West Bank, release prisoners, or give up land if that means peace. Many Israeli leaders share Livni's optimism, as do I, that peace will come to the region.

We must begin to find ways to look beyond comfort zones to stem the tides that divide and find ties that bind. If we can take substantive steps to stop the violence and move towards peace and justice we will have moved mountains.

On May 14, 1948, Israel rose from the ashes of the Holocaust. Over these last 60 years, the American people have formed a profound and unshakable friendship with our democratic ally.

The United States must continue its commitment to Israeli sovereignty, security, and democracy. We face common threats, share common values and we must continue to work together to achieve our common goals.

I praise the miracle of Israel. The history of Israel and of her people is a story of freedom and rebirth that gives hope to oppressed peoples across the world and that will for millennia to come.

I thank my friend of some 45 years for his observations. There are a lot of my very dear friends for a long time in this chamber.

Israel is America's friend for a very long time.

Mr. Speaker, it is fitting today that Members of both sides of the aisle, almost in unanimity, join to recognize the founding of our Nation's steadfast friend and ally, the State of Israel, to reconfirm the special bond that exists between our two Nations, and to reiterate that the support for Israel in this Congress is bipartisan, overwhelming, stronger than ever, and continuing to grow.

On May 14, 1948, the day on which the British mandate for Palestine expired, the people of Israel proclaimed the sovereign and independent State of Israel. And 11 minutes later the United States, at the direction of President Harry S. Truman, recognized the establishment of this new state.

President Truman observed, at that time, and I quote, ``I had faith in Israel before it was established, I have faith in it now. I believe that it has a glorious future before it, not just another sovereign nation, but an embodiment of the great ideals of our civilization.''

So said President Harry Truman, May 14, 1948, 11 minutes after the declaration of sovereignty of the State of Israel. An embodiment of the great ideals of our civilization. I believe that to be the fact, and because I believe that to be the fact, I believe it is absolutely essential that those who uphold those ideals pledge their support and defense of Israel against those who would undermine, not only the nation, but the idea of the civilization that Truman said it represents.

Mr. Speaker, over the ensuing 6 decades, it has become increasingly clear that Israel's success is not only a strategic imperative for the United States, but a moral imperative as well. Ours is a relationship of principle and conscience, of shared values and common aspirations, of peace and opportunity and a mutual commitment to freedom and democracy.

The United States and Israel are nations of immigrants. We are safe havens for the oppressed. The Statue of Liberty lifts her lamp beside the golden door, ``Send these, the poor, the homeless, tempest tossed to me,'' it says. That is what Israel has said to millions of Jews, and others as well, black and white.

We are partners with Israel for peace, and we are united in fighting against terrorism. Few people on Earth have been subjected to more bigotry, violence and discrimination than have the Jewish people, and no people are more in need, in my view, of a sovereign, secure homeland to provide safe haven and to protect identity.

That is why the Balfour Resolution was passed in 1918. That is why, in 1948, the world looked on the creation of Israel as an imperative.

David Ben-Gurion once remarked: ``The security of Israel is,'' he said, and I quote, ``a question of the survival, not only of the people of Israel, but of the Jewish people the world over.''

History has taught us that is true. Throughout the last 60 years, Israel has been an island of freedom in a sea of despair and an absence of democracy. It has been vilified, threatened and attacked. My colleagues have set forth those facts.

And yet, it has prevailed, indeed, prospered, just as it will prevail and prosper today and tomorrow and every day thereafter.

When we talk of Israel, we inevitably acknowledge her courage in the face of those who seek her destruction. But let us also acknowledge that over the last 60 years, the Israeli people have established a vibrant, pluralistic, democratic political system that includes freedom of speech, association, religion, a vigorous free press, free, fair and open elections, the rule of law, and an independent judiciary.

Furthermore, Israel has developed an advanced entrepreneurial economy, and is among the world's leaders in the high tech industry.

Mr. Speaker, as Mr. Berman observed, over the last 5 years I've had the opportunity to take a tenth of the Congress, actually more than a tenth of the Congress to Israel, congressional delegations, which have gone to see where we invest our money and where we have committed our security pledge. And what the Members saw was a reflection, really, in many respects, of America and themselves, people who love their country, people who want to live in peace and freedom, and people who want their children to have even greater opportunities and safety.

As our allies in Israel celebrate their 60th anniversary in just a few weeks, let us honor their determination to fulfill the vision of Zionism's founding father, Theodore Herzl. Through courage and will, Israel was born and the dream of generations was made real, and it will endure. It will endure with our support, with our encouragement, and with our commitment.

I want to congratulate the citizens of Israel and the entire Jewish community, not only in the United States, but throughout the world, who have enabled Israel to survive. Congratulations. Happy birthday.

We remain a loyal, steadfast and unswerving ally in your quest for a better life, not just for your people, but, as Truman observed, for civilization as well.