Ambassador
James B. Cunningham

Biography

Speeches

Remarks
Ambassador James B. Cunningham
The 234th Anniversary
of the Declaration of Independence
of the United States of America
Thursday, July 1, 2010, 7:00 p.m.

Good evening.  Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, Chief Rabbis, Ministers, Members of Knesset, Ambassadors, distinguished guests, and our many American and Israeli friends: 

Leslie and I thank you for joining us in celebrating the 234th anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence. 

Let me begin by thanking our sponsors, who you will find listed in your program and see around you.  We at the Embassy are grateful for their generous support.  Without them, and without all the members of my Embassy staff who have worked so hard, this event would not be possible.

 July 4, 1776 was the beginning of a great experiment in human affairs which continues to occupy Americans in the 21st century.   The second sentence of the Declaration of Independence is a sweeping statement of human ambition:    

“We hold these truths to be self-evident.  That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

 
For over two centuries we have fought to defend our liberty and those values around the world.  We fought a terrible civil war, with a degree of sacrifice hard to imagine today, which secured the Union and set the stage for the 20th “American” century.  And still today, American men and women around the world, military and civilian, are engaged in the defense of our liberty and our ideals, and the pursuit of the well-being of our friends and allies.

We are ever mindful that the blessings of liberty must also be fought for in our society:  in the halls of Congress, in our courtrooms, and through democratic debate.  234 years after our independence, we know that the values which animated our fore-fathers may never be fully realized.  But we must always aspire to them, and we seek to make each  citizen a full participant in this great experiment called America.

As democracies, the United States and Israel share a common bond.  Both of our nations had to fight for survival from the moment of birth.  We share common values, and common aspirations for democracy and freedom and peace.  And as democracies, we both know that there remains much to do realize the vision of equality and justice possessed by our founding fathers.    

The US and Israel have some differences, as is natural in any family.  But we should not exaggerate.  Our relationship is strong and enduring.  The United States will not waiver in its support for Israel’s security.  Since your own Declaration of Statehood, the United States has stood beside you.  As Vice President Biden affirmed during his visit here, “Our nations’ unbreakable bond, born of common values, interwoven cultures, and mutual interests, has spanned the entirety of Israel’s history… No matter what challenges we face, this bond will endure.” 

Theodor Herzl famously said, “If you will it, it is no dream.”  Just as Israel’s founders willed Israel, so too did America’s founding fathers will my nation.   I am proud to celebrate with you tonight our shared, on-going experiment in democracy. America and Israel will face the challenges of the 21st century together, as friends.