President Obama, Key Leaders Celebrate Israeli Independence Day

Jacob Miller — April 16, 2013 – 11:51 am | Barack Obama | Foreign Policy | Israel Comments (0) Add a comment

Today is the 65^th anniversary of Israel’s Independence. To celebrate it, President Obama and other leaders released statements.

President Barack Obama:

On the 65^th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, I join my fellow Americans in wishing the Israeli people a joyous Independence Day.  On this date 65 years ago, the Jewish people realized their dream of the ages-to be masters of their fate in their own sovereign state.  From that moment on, a free and independent Israel has had no greater friend and ally than the United States.  As I said during my visit to Israel last month, our two nations stand together because it makes our countries safer, stronger and more prosperous and it makes the world a better place.

Among the many memories I will always cherish from my visit will be my time at Mount Herzl.  There, I was honored to pay tribute to Theodor Herzl who did so much to realize the dream of an independent Israel, to the presidents and prime ministers who guided her, and to those in uniform who have laid down their lives to protect her.  The strong and prosperous Israel we see today proves Herzl’s vision-“if you will it, it is no dream.”  On this anniversary, we reaffirm the unbreakable alliance between our two nations and our shared determination to realize the dreams of our people to live in security and peace.

President Obama’s open letter to President Shimon Peres:

I congratulate the people of Israel on the 65th anniversary of Israel’s Independence.

I was deeply honored to have the opportunity to visit Israel just a few weeks ago and to witness first-hand the deep and everlastings bond between our countries. Sixty-five years ago, the United States was the first nation to recognize Israel as an independent state, just eleven minutes after the State of Israel was proclaimed. Since then, our political, economic, security, and cultural ties have only grown stronger.

As Israelis celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut, the American people join me in applauding the remarkable Israeli achievements over the past six and a half decades. The United States stood together with the State of Israel at its founding and we will stand together with you always.

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi:

On Israeli Independence Day, we honor the birth, growth, and success of a country defined by courage, shaped by bravery, sustained by the core values of Jewish history.  For 65 years, Israel has survived in the face of threats to its very existence; thrived in the face of enemies dedicated to its destruction; succeeded against all odds and beyond all imagination.  For 65 years, Israel has made deserts bloom and cities thrive, embraced innovation and built a dynamic economy, advanced the rights of its citizens and led the way in science, technology, medicine, and the arts.

Through it all, the United States has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Jewish state - bound by our common ideals, strengthened by our common interests, devoted to a common future of peace and security.  Our friendship is unbreakable, our bonds unshakable.  Our partnership will endure as it has from the start: with a firm, unyielding commitment to the safety and security of the Israeli people.

Israel today stands as the realization of a basic idea - as President Obama said in Jerusalem last month, ‘the idea that people deserve to be free in a land of their own.’  Every day, Israel makes that idea come to life, maintaining the establishment of the Jewish state as one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century.  Together, we will pray for the freedom and peace of Israel’s families, and we will look forward to many more Israeli Independence Days in the years to come.

 

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