Continue funding for Security Assistance in israel. He was the first speaker of the house of representatives and 25 years. This is 25 minutes. My very first trip overseas as the u. S. House speaker. There is no place i would rather be than right here, right now with my dear friends, all of you. Today, i speak to you not only as the american congressional leader, i speak to you as a lifelong supporter and true friend of israel. I am no stranger to your beautiful land. Since coming to congress in 2007, i have traveled to israel year after year with hundreds of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle. Today is no different. I am here today as many times before with my good friend and a Bipartisan Group of members. If you would all stand. I choose to come here today to celebrate the bond between our two country two countries and reaffirm the bipartisan support and the foundation of our truly special relationship. I begin with words every person in this chamber will recognize the land of israel was the birthplace of the jewish people. [applause] after being forcibly exiled from their land, the people kept faith and never ceased to pray and hope for the return to it and for the restoration of their political freedom. Today we celebrate the 75th anniversary of israel. Israel survives and thrives. Courage, resilience and determination. But, as your declaration reminds us, 75 years is just a blip in the timeline of israel. There is no other nation with your long, storied history. 3500 years ago, moses led the children of israel out of egypt. Through the wilderness and back to the promised land. 3000 years ago, he reigned as the king of israel and soon after, king solomon consecrated the first temple. That temple was destroyed. That spirit of freedom and faith remain. We see that spirit in the faith of israel today. Israel is resilient. It is strong. It is innovated innovative, it is blessed. Israel endures. The lord blessed you from zion and may you see the prosperity of jerusalem all the days of your life. Indeed, may you see your childrens children, peace be upon israel as david has written. It was president john f. Kennedy who said it best israel was not created in order to disappear. Israel will endure and flourish. It can either be broken by adversity or to moralized by success. Ladies and gentlemen, israel parts for s rebirth as nothing less than a modern miracle and i think you for it. [applause] the source of that miracle is the people of israel. In those dark days thousands of years ago when the jewish people were scattered from israel, isaiah predicted a Brighter Future to come, inspired by god he shared this command, signed by light to come. My friends, today, 75 years after declaring independence, israels light shines brighter than ever before. Despite the constant threat of terrorism, israel remains a thriving democracy. Israels Economy Today is ranked as the fourth best performing economy among developing nations. [applause] x market economy is dynamic and its remarkable people are bursting with talent and ideas. Its innovative hightech sector has rightfully earned the nickname that israel has come of the start. The founder of modern the zionist predicted the rest we will do ourselves. It is a story of survival against the perils of war. It is a story of pioneers fulfilling a sacred promise inspired by a commitment to freedom, family, faith in god. It is a story about making the deserts bloom and building a thriving economy. And it is a story of hope that continues to inspire millions around the world. Especially me and my fellow americans. The United States cherishes this unbreakable bond with jerusalem. I am proud my country recognizes your country 11 million 11 minutes after it declared its independence, the first country to do so. [applause] but our special relationship is even closer. It is more personal and powerful been we might realize. This point was driven home to me last night by a thoughtful gift from your speaker. It was a gift of a picture of a story i did not know of a Pilot Training in bakersfield, california, where i represent. There is a story behind this picture. More than 75 years ago, on the people of the israeli war of independence, female Flight Instructor and a patriot named Eleanor Rudnick organized the Training Program for israeli Fighter Pilots at her airfield in bakersfield. There was only 13 volunteers, including two women who took this course. Only three finished. Technically, the program was illegal because israel did not exist as a modern state and america was neutral. But why did these pilots do it . What compelled them to risk their lives to help reestablish the state of israel . As we look around this room, we know the answer. We all know it. It was faith and freedom. Those values are worth fighting for and even dying for, and especially today. [applause] and they took to the skies, not knowing what the future would hold, but knowing that god and one millions of americans were their allies in this cause. They won. The state of israel was reborn. 75 years has passed since those heroes felt secure in israels independence. The choice of struggles and life were just ahead of them. And now, while they rest in peace, their sacrifice and legacies live on in a free and independent israel and with a special bond with the United States. This picture tells of a deeper story. If we remain united than the forces of freedom and democracy will always prevail. This is the foundation of our special relationship. We are the only two countries in history that were conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all are equal. [applause] our values are your values. Our heritage is your heritage. Our dreams are your dreams. Americas grateful for our friendship with israel. We are a better nation because of you. And we must never shy away from defending it. [applause] we have come so far in 75 years, but the promise of the years ahead is just as compelling. I believe the best days are ahead of us. My greatest hope is that our special relationship can serve as a foundation for Greater Peace across the middle east. The progress towards peace in the past few years has been remarkable. Coexistence and cooperation are beginning to replace conflict and intolerance. As a result, a future where your children can enjoy a lasting peace is not only foreseeable, it is attainable. Congress has supported the dramatic breakthroughs of the abraham accords. Last week, we passed the bipartisan resolution celebrating the 75th anniversary of commending the abraham accords. I actually have that resolution with me right here. [applause] estates in absolute terms that you stands with it states in absolute terms that the United States stands with israel. [applause] Congress Stands ready to work with israel to deepen those accords, working for sustainable peace with all of israels neighbors. As we welcome peace, we cannot ignore the threats to peace in our region. Those threats have one primary cause. The lone iranian regime. Most of the turmoil in this region of violence and instability can be traced back to best source, which continues to Fund Terrorism and pursues nuclear weapons. Iran seeks to destabilize iraq. It wants to entrench missiles in syria. It empowers terrorist organizations in lebanon and it is fueling a brutal civil war in yemen. Among all this aggression, is seeks to encircle israel with hostile forces. We cannot allow iran regime People Campaign to succeed. [applause] to deter irans dangerous behavior, our nations must continue to stand together. We need the United States integrated israel into our Central Command and are continuing to carry out military exercises together. As long as i am speaker, america will continue to support fully funding for Security Assistance in israel. [applause] together, we will defeat irans precision guided missiles, their drones and cyber attacks. As we stand shoulder to shoulder against irans regional aggressions, we must always remain resolute in our commitment that iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon. [applause] as we pursue peace in this region, we must also expand the Economic Cooperation between our two countries. Our systems of innovation and creativity are our greatest allies for prosperity. For decades our nations have worked together on agricultural research, clean energy, new technology and so much more. To strengthen our command of the next generation of Technology Congress established bilateral military research and development in 2021. This will allow us to buy the faith benefit from each others innovation, especially in military technology. Today, our and the patient is at risk from a new threat. The Chinese Communist party. While the ccp may disguise itself as promoters of innovation, in truth, they act like thieves. In the United States we are working to protect innovation and the prosperity with which it renews focus. We have a review process in the United States. I want to thank you and i am glad that israel has put into place a process to review foreign investors. I strongly encourage israel to further strengthen its oversight of foreign investment, particularly chinese investment. If we cooperate, i am confident we will meet the challenge and ensure a Brighter Future for both of our nations. A final priority for the future i want to discuss his ending efforts to delegitimize and discriminate against israel. Whether it is the boycott and sanctions movement or the constant attacks on israel at the United Nations, prejudice against israel on the brenton strange is destructive. There is no clear example in the United Nations rights council, which has cast over 90 antis really resolutions, yet they have turned a blind eye to true Human Rights Violations by iran, north korea and china. We continue to stand with israel and we will increase the pressure on the United Nations to win these outrageous attacks. [applause] as we take the next steps at enhancing our ongoing diplomatic dialogues i Want Congress to work as close as possible together. I will continue to push for a formal group between the United States and israel. But i do not want to wait to start that collaboration between the house of representatives and you. Therefore, today, i will establish a house print momentary friendship so we can continue the strength of our bonds and build Mutual Understanding and work Better Together to democracy. We will engage more directly, travel to israel and forge new relationships. We will host members who wish to travel to the United States to do the same in congress. This will be part of a new chapter of u. S. Israel relations and i look forward to working closely with your speaker on this endeavor. [applause] let me close with this. The rebirth of israel is truly a miracle. Peace, liberty and prosperity are the foundations of our nations success. They are also a cornerstone of our relationship. Our special relationship stands for freedom, safety, hope. Together, let us work to move forward toward a Brighter Future. We will work to build a world in which our children live in peace, enjoyed more robust economic ties and our treaty with the respect and fairness they deserve. This is our shared vision. I look forward to working with you as we strengthen this unique and indispensable bond. God bless you. God bless israel. God bless america. And god bless our special relationship. [applause] thank you. [applause]