Howard Berman: “Mr. Speaker, in the 60 years since the founding of our ally Israel, the United States has had no greater friend in the…”

“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.”