A resolution congratulating the Los Angeles Lakers for winning the 2009 National Basketball Championship.

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.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1391, a resolution congratulating and commending Israel for its accession to membership in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD.

On May 10th, it was announced that OECD member states had unanimously voted to extend membership to Israel. This landmark vote recognizes Israel's economic strength, and it is a clear victory over efforts to marginalize and delegitimize the country. Israel's accession to the OECD will speed its economic integration into the global community and provide increased opportunities for foreign investment.

Despite living under the constant threat of terror and war, Israel has developed one of the world's most robust economies. Last year, Israel boasted one of few economies in the world to show growth during the economic crisis. OECD has predicted a 3.5 percent increase in Israel's economy in 2010.

I visited Israel in early April and saw a modern, vibrant economy driven by scientific and technological advancement. While international attention remains fixed on the politics of the region, the OECD vote is a critical recognition of Israel's robust economy and ongoing innovation.

Last week, I joined over 30 of my colleagues in signing a letter to President Obama, thanking him for his administration's strong support of Israel's bid, as well as a letter to OECD Secretary-General Angel Guria expressing appreciation for the OECD vote.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support Israel's accession to the OECD, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1391, congratulating Israel for its accession to membership in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

On May 10, 2010, 31 OECD member states unanimously agreed to invite Israel to become a member of that organization. The OECD noted in a statement that ``Israel's scientific and technological policies have produced outstanding outcomes on a world scale.'' Israel's finance minister, Yuval Steinitz, described Israel joining the OECD as ``a badge of honor'' for Israel, which was one of the few economies to show growth in 2009 during the world economic crisis.

It is critical to recognize the importance of Israel's involvement now and in the future in international organizations. I stand with my colleagues in commending President Obama and the administration for the integral role it played in Israel's successful bid for accession to membership in the OECD. This only furthers to strengthen the bonds between the United States and Israel.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 188.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, and any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record.