Honoring Israeli Independence Day

Floor Speech

* Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, this week we witnessed the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. It is an occasion to celebrate the achievements of a country that, like the United States, aspires to be a land of peace, prosperity and the pursuit of happiness.

* The United States and Israel are bound by a common history forged by those who dared to dream of democracy and freedom; of civil and human rights; of laws and not wishes. President Harry Truman was the first world leader to recognize the Israeli declaration of independence in 1948. Other countries soon followed. In this way, with the United States at its side, Israel entered the community of nations.

* We continue to share that sacred bond born in 1948. The bond carries with it a burden that all such undeniable relationships bring--the responsibility to celebrate our successes, and to address our challenges. We are both stronger nations because of this. To do otherwise would be to diminish that special bond.

* An anniversary is also an opportunity to think about the future and therefore this is a time for us to renew our commitment to work for peace. As former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said, ``We must think differently, look at things in a different way. Peace requires a world of new concepts, new definitions.'' As a friend and ally of Israel, I look forward to the work of nurturing the seeds of peace that will sustain and protect Israel.

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