Congratulating Israel for its accession to membership in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I thank my good friend, the lovely lady from Nevada (Ms. Berkley), for those kinds words.

Mr. Speaker, we have got a good, strong partnership when it comes to promoting the ideals of freedom, democracy and the rule of law; and in that category, Israel will always stand out.

I am proud, obviously, to support this resolution, which I authored and sponsored, House Resolution 1391, which congratulates Israel on being approved for membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD brings together governments committed to democracy and a market economy in advancing freedom and in advancing prosperity. The recent unanimous support of OECD member states for Israel's membership is a well-deserved seal of approval for Israel, one that can reinforce its progress and that will benefit both Israel and the members of the OECD.

Mr. Speaker, the history of Israel's pursuit of membership in the OECD speaks volumes about the nature of Israel, also, lamentably, of the Palestinian leadership and of the U.S. engagement in international organizations. Israel, the free, democratic country that it is, pursued OECD membership, not with a sense of entitlement but with patience and eagerness to demonstrate its eligibility and its competence in improving herself in the process.

Israel first sent an observer delegation to the OECD in 1994. In the 16 years since that time, Israel has carried out far-reaching economic reforms with respect to taxes, labor, competition, capital markets, pension funds, energy, communications, transport, and housing. Mr. Speaker, the list goes on and on.

It has grown its now-booming private sector and streamlined its overgrown public sector. Its tax burden is much lower than that of most OECD member states.

Israel is now a world leader in science, technology, and entrepreneurship, home to the most high technology startup companies, scientific publications, and research and development spending per capita. And it has

been the most active nonmember country in the OECD, becoming a member or an observer in dozens of working bodies, a party to numerous OECD declarations, and coming into compliance with multiple OECD standards.

Israel also continues to uphold the democratic values of its founding with a vibrant political system, a robust and autonomous judiciary, and a commitment to human rights. In short, Israel's democracy, its prosperity, and its freedom are a model for many nations and many people. Israel has clearly made its case for OECD membership.

The Palestinian leadership, in contrast, has spent the last 16 years demonstrating time after time that it never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. It has rejected every offer of peace from Israel. It has refused to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. It has failed to crack down on violent extremism and anti-Israel incitement. Indeed, it has even tolerated and encouraged such behavior.

It has supported boycotts of Israeli goods, and the Palestinian Authority's prime minister, whom some consider a moderate, even participated in a mass burning of such goods. And it has consistently tried to use international organizations, from the U.N. General Assembly to the Human Rights Council, with its infamous Goldstone Report, to the International Criminal Court, to demonize and delegitimize Israel.

The Palestinian Authority tried hard to block Israel's candidacy for membership in the OECD, with the same Palestinian Authority prime minister personally lobbying foreign governments to oppose Israel's membership.

Is this a partner for peace, Mr. Speaker?

But it gets worse. A former Palestinian Authority foreign minister and senior associate of Abu Mazen announced just last week that the Palestinian Authority was intensifying its diplomatic and economic offensive against Israel. He said the Palestinian Authority needed ``to increase our efforts in the international arena to isolate and punish Israel, prevent it from deepening its relations with the European Union, and attempt to expel it from the United Nations.'' He continues, ``We must pursue Israel in all international bodies and institutions.'' And Palestinian leaders keep threatening violence to extract concessions.

Instead of focusing on building a better future for its people, the Palestinian leaders are focusing on tearing down that future for Israel and her citizens. This Congress should not reward such behavior by providing yet another $400 million bailout to the West Bank and Gaza, including another $150 million in cash directly to the Palestinian Authority.

Finally, Israel's candidacy for OECD membership teaches us a lesson about when and how the U.S. should participate in international forums, and when and how it should not. The OECD is what the U.N. was intended to be, a group of free, Democratic countries cooperating to advance their values and shared interests. It has rigorous membership standards and new members must be approved by all existing members.

Its Secretary General has demonstrated commitment to ensuring that Israel's candidacy and other issues are determined on the merits and are not politicized. That is why the U.S. should and does participate in the OECD, including by actively supporting Israel's candidacy for membership.

In contrast, the UN's misnamed ``Human Rights Council'' has no meaningful standards for membership, other than the ability to gain the support of a mere majority of the U.N. General Assembly, which itself includes scores of countries that are not free democracies.

In the most recent so-called ``elections,'' using the term loosely, to the Human Rights Council earlier this month, every single candidate, no matter how oppressive the government, ran unopposed on previously agreed upon regional slates. That is not democracy. It's what happens in the Castro brothers' Cuba. So it is no surprise that the Cuban regime is a longstanding member of the rogue's gallery that is the Human Rights Council, as are China, Saudi Arabia, and now Qaddafi's Libyan regime.

None of these countries ever are condemned by the Human Rights Council for their rampant human rights violations, nor is Iran, nor is Syria. But the Council has devoted 80 percent of its resolutions and about half of its special sessions to bashing the democratic Jewish State of Israel, and it has passed numerous other anti-freedom measures.

The administration's decision to join the Council, and the last year of the U.S. membership on that Council, have not changed these grim facts, lamentably. When the deck is stacked, when the fix is in against freedom and against democracy, the answer should be not to participate and instead vote ``no.'' The answer is for the U.S. and other responsible nations to walk out and demand better.

Today, however, in this legitimate and distinguished House, I will proudly vote yes on this resolution. I encourage all of my colleagues to do the same.

I thank my good friend and colleague from New York, Mr. Crowley, for cosponsoring this resolution with me; I thank our wonderful chairman, Chairman Berman, for agreeing to move it so promptly for floor consideration; and I again thank my good friend from Nevada, Ms. Berkley, for also standing on the side of Israel, always standing on the side of freedom and democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1391) congratulating Israel for its accession to membership in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, as amended.

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

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. Israel's accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a prestigious group of the world's most advanced economies, is a monumental achievement and is testimony to Israel's remarkable economic success and diplomatic acumen.

The unanimous decision by the 31 member states of the OECD to accept Israel is a recognition of Israel's economic strength as well as of its democracy and of its ability to contribute to the organization and to the world's economy.

Israel was one of the few economies in the world to have positive economic growth in the midst of last year's global economic crisis, and it is expected to grow at least 3.5 percent in 2010. As a member of the OECD, Israel will be in an even better position to advance key economic sectors of its economy, including technology, medicine and agriculture. This will prove beneficial, not only to the State of Israel but, as the record of Israeli entrepreneurial creativity attests, to the entire world.

Mr. Speaker, Israel's accession to the OECD is an important achievement for the State of Israel, and it also demonstrates the importance of U.S. engagement in multilateral organizations. Without the emphatic support of the Obama administration's delegation to the OECD, Israel almost certainly would still be waiting at the organization's door, knocking to come in.

I would like to congratulate and thank our OECD mission in Paris for their hard work. This strong team of diplomats worked tirelessly to support Israel's OECD candidacy, and it dutifully ensured that Israel's candidacy was not politicized and that it was judged by objective economic and democratic standards.

Mr. Speaker, the lesson from this victory is clear: U.S. engagement works. Without a strong presence at this international organization, we risk leaving our ally Israel to battle alone against its many biased critics. It is important to remember that maintaining a strong U.S. voice in international organizations isn't important just for America's interest but for Israel's interest as well.

I want to thank the Obama administration for their strong support for Israel at the OECD, and I look forward to working with them to ensure that there is the same support going forward at the OECD, at the U.N., and at other multilateral organizations.

The unanimous vote by OECD members to admit Israel not only highlights Israel's growing global economic importance, which it certainly does and is, but it also represents an important sign that the U.S., when properly engaged, can help to defeat the unrelenting efforts of Israel's detractors and, may I say, haters.

I would like to thank my dear friend, Ranking Member Ileana Ros- Lehtinen, for introducing this important resolution and for making Israel's accession to the OECD possible.

I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I think it is plain to see from the words of my esteemed colleague, it is plain to see Israel's extraordinary impact on the global economy. Its accession to the OECD will have a positive impact on our global economy at a time when our economy is suffering worldwide.

It would be my hope that the Palestinians, rather than to continue to refuse to make peace with Israel, to continue its terrorist attacks on innocent Israelis, its continuance to refuse face-to-face negotiations with the Israelis for peace, to actively incite anti-Semitism and hatred towards Israel, and to continue its attempts to delegitimize Israel's very right to exist, that perhaps instead it would be more worthwhile for the Palestinian people if its leaders would work with Israel to improve its own economic situation, to raise the Palestinian people from the misery, poverty, and squalor in which they live, and in which they continue to live, not because of the Israelis' success, but because of the lack of movement on the part of the Palestinian leadership that continues to use and abuse their own people and attempt to delegitimize Israel's very right to exist.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in supporting H. Res. 1391, congratulating Israel for its accession to membership in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD. On May 10, 2010, Israel became the 32nd member of the OECD by unanimous vote of the other members. This is an extraordinary achievement for a small, beleaguered nation that came into existence little more than six decades ago.

Sixty-two years ago, Israelis began the difficult process of creating a country from nothing. For more than a thousand years, the territory that is now Israel had been ruled by a series of far-off empires. It had no infrastructure, no history of self-rule, no major industrial base and very few large enterprises.

After Israel's establishment in 1948, Israelis created their own institutions from scratch. Israel has grown from an impoverished backwater colony to an economic powerhouse in the region. And although it has fewer natural resources than most nations of the world, it has made the most of what is has, investing in knowledge, development, innovation and medicine. Today, Israel is a center of scientific, medical and technological innovation, a leader in agriculture, water purification, alternative energy and public health.

Israel is a flourishing democracy, with a strong free press, a free and independent judiciary and a strong banking system that protects the safety and soundness of its financial institutions. The World Bank ranks Israel among the 30 countries in which it is easiest to do business. It is tied for fourth in ease of getting credit and tied for fifth in protecting investors. Similarly, the World Economic Forum rated Israel fifth of 133 nations on the Forum's legal rights index and 15th in judicial independence and 15th in financial market sophistication.

Israel's founders wanted to create an agricultural Garden of Eden-- and since much of its territory consists of desert, its farmers developed techniques for growing crops in arid ground, using very little water. These techniques are now being marketed and used in developing nations across the globe. As part of its acceptance into OECD, Israel has agreed to increase its aid to underdeveloped nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. As part of that promise, Israel will be sending hundreds of experts in agriculture, water, and irrigation to impoverished areas, as well as experts in alternative energy, public health, education, and internal security. By sharing its knowledge, Israel will be helping its neighbors and improving relationships with developing countries. Even before OECD acceptance, Israel astounded the world by arriving in Haiti with a high tech field hospital that was able to perform sophisticated procedures and save lives.

With oil-producing nations hostile to it, and very little oil or gas of its own, Israel learned to become energy efficient, using solar power and other alternative fuels. With little land and few natural resources, Israel positioned itself at the cutting edge of technological innovation. Many of the technological innovations we take for granted, including instant messaging, security firewalls, artificial stents, wireless computer chips, were developed in Israel. In 2010, the World Economic Forum ranked Israel 27th out of 133 countries in its Growth Competitiveness Index. Israel ranked third in quality of scientific research institutions, fourth in utility patents, seventh in life expectancy, ninth in innovation, 15th in availability of the latest technologies. Israel leads the world in the number of high-technology start-up companies, scientific publications, and research and development spending per capita.

Acceptance in the OECD is a mark of member nations' respect for Israel's economic progress, and it will help Israel attract foreign investors and develop its markets. Membership will enhance Israel's status in the world and will enhance its participation in other international bodies. It is no secret that the Palestinian Authority tried hard to deny Israel membership in the OECD precisely because they were concerned that OECD membership would enhance Israel's reputation in the world and strengthen its ties with other nations around the globe.

Mr. Speaker, Israel's accession to the OECD is a remarkable achievement. I am pleased to join my colleagues in saluting Israel's success and in expressing appreciation to the OECD members for their unanimous decision to accept Israel as a member. For all of the foregoing reasons, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 1391.

Madam Speaker, last week, due to a death in the family, I was not present to vote on the House floor. Had I been present, I would have cast the following votes:

Rollcall 291: H. Con. Res. 278 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree--``yes.''

Rollcall 292: H.R. 1017 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass as Amended--``yes.''

Rollcall 293:. H.R. 5330 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended--``yes.''

Rollcall 294: H.R. 5145 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended--``yes.''

Rollcall 295: H. Res. 1258 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended--``yes.''

Rollcall 296: H. Res. 1382 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 297: H. Res. 584 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 298: H.R. 3885 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 299: H.R. 2711 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Concur in the Senate Amendments--``yes.''

Rollcall 300: H. Res. 1189 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 301: H. Res. 1172 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 302: H. Res. 1347 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 303: H. Res. 1385 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 304: H. Res. 1316 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree as Amended--``yes.''

Rollcall 305: H. Res. 1169 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended--``yes.''

Rollcall 306: H. Con. Res. 282 On Agreeing to the Resolution--``no.''

Rollcall 307: H. Res. 1404 On Agreeing to the Resolution--``no.''

Rollcall 308: H. Res. 1161 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 309: H. Res. 1372 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 310: H.R. 5136 On Agreeing to the Amendment--``yes.''

Rollcall 311: H.R. 5136 On Agreeing to the Amendment--``yes.''

Rollcall 312: H.R. 5136 On Agreeing to the Amendment--``no.''

Rollcall 313: H.R. 5136 On Agreeing to the Amendment--``yes.''

Rollcall 314: H.R. 5136 On Agreeing to the Amendment--``no.''

Rollcall 315: H.R. 5136 On Agreeing to the Amendment--``no.''

Rollcall 316: H.R. 5136 On Agreeing to the Amendment--``yes.''

Rollcall 317: H.R. 5136 On Agreeing to the Amendment--``no.''

Rollcall 318: H.R. 5136 On Agreeing to the Amendment--``yes.''

Rollcall 319: H.R. 5136 On Approving the Journal--``no.''

Rollcall 320: H. Res. 1391 On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended--``yes.''

Rollcall 321: H. Res. 1403 On Ordering the Previous Question--``no.''

Rollcall 322: H. Res. 1403 On Agreeing to the Amendment--``no.''

Rollcall 323: H. Res. 1403 On Agreeing to the Resolution, as Amended--``no.''

Rollcall 324: H.R. 4213 On Concurring in the Senate amdt with amdt (except portion comprising section 532--``no.''

Rollcall 325: H.R. 4123 On concurring in Senate amdt with portion of amdt comprising section 523--``no.''

Rollcall 326: H.R. 5116 First Portion of the Divided Question-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 327: H.R. 5116 Second Portion of the Divided Question-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 328: H.R. 5116 Sixth Portion of the Divided Question-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 329: H.R. 5116 Seventh Portion of the Divided Question-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 330: H.R. 5116 Eighth Portion of the Divided Question-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 331: H.R. 5116 Ninth Portion of the Divided Question-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 332: H.R. 5116 On Passage--``no.''

Rollcall 333: H.R. 5136 On Agreeing to the En Bloc Amendments, as Modified--``yes.''

Rollcall 334: H.R. 5136 Table Appeal of the Ruling of the Chair-- ``no.''

Rollcall 335: H.R. 5136 On Motion to Recommit with Instructions-- ``yes.''

Rollcall 336: H.R. 5136 On Passage--``no.''

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, May 28, 2010, I was unable to participate in all of the day's votes due to a family emergency.

Had I been present I would have voted:

On rollcall No. 319--``no''--On Approving the Journal; on rollcall No. 320--``yes''--H. Res. 1391, Congratulating and commending Israel for its accession to membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; on rollcall No. 321--``no''--Previous Question on H. Res. 1403, Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 4213) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend certain expiring provisions, and for other purposes; on rollcall No. 322--``no''--Slaughter of New York Amendment to H. Res. 1403; on rollcall No. 323--``no''--H. Res. 1403, Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 4213) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend certain expiring provisions, and for other purposes; on rollcall No. 324--``no''--H.R. 4213, American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010--on concurring in Senate amendment with amendment (except portion comprising section 523); on rollcall No. 325--``no''--H.R. 4213, American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010--on concurring in Senate amendment with portion of amendment comprising section 523; on rollcall No. 326--``yes''--America COMPETES Act--First portion of the Divided Question, Proposing to Strike Section 228; on rollcall No. 327--``yes''--America COMPETES Act--Second portion of the Divided Question, Proposing to Strike Sections 406(b) and (c); on rollcall No. 328--``yes''--America COMPETES Act--Sixth Portion of the Divided Question, Proposing to Amend Section 702; on rollcall No. 329-- ``yes''--America COMPETES Act--Seventh Portion of the Divided Question, Proposing to Add a Section 704; on rollcall No. 330--``yes''--America COMPETES Act--Eighth Portion of the Divided Question,

Proposing to Add a Section 705; on rollcall No. 331--``yes''--America COMPETES Act--Ninth Portion of the Divided Question, Proposing to Add a Section 706; on rollcall No. 332--``no''--America COMPETES Act--Final Passage; on rollcall No. 333--``yes''--Skelton of Missouri En Bloc Amendments No. 9; on rollcall No. 334--``no''--To Table the Appeal of the Ruling of the Chair--Republican Motion to Recommit #1, To eliminate the 1.4 percent non-military federal employee pay raise, saving taxpayers $30 billion over the next ten years; on rollcall No. 335-- ``yes''--Republican Motion to Recommit #2, to H.R. 5136, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year; on rollcall No. 336-- ``no''--H.R. 5136, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011--Final Passage.