Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Admits Israel

Floor Speech

Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Madam Speaker, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development unanimously voted to admit Israel last week as its newest member. The decision to welcome Israel into this group of 30-plus nations is significant recognition that Israel has much to offer the world and a setback to international efforts to delegitimize the Jewish State.

Israel is a democratic nation with an economy based on free market principles. It shares American goals of creating prosperity and new economic opportunities. Israel's high tech- and innovation-driven economy has been one of the world's strongest. It grew last year during the worldwide economic downturn and is expected to grow by 3.7 percent this year. As a member of OECD, Israel will offer an important perspective on global challenges and will help nations solve difficult problems. I congratulate Israel for overcoming unfounded objections to its membership and look forward to the contributions Israel will make to this international body.

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