Pool Report for Obama's Event on Israel's 60th Anniversary

TIME: 6:30pm ET

EVENT: Obama Speaks at Reception Sponsored by Israeli Embassy Marking the 60th Anniversary of Israel Independence

Sen. Barack Obama spoke for about eight minutes at a cocktail reception tonight sponsored by the Israeli Embassy marking the 60th anniversary of Israel independence. The event was held at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC.

According to the campaign, Obama was there in his capacity as a senator. According to the campaign: All Senators were invited to attend (not necessarily speak at) the Israel independence event. Other speakers were Vice President Cheney and Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Ind Dem-CT). Other presidential candidates would have been treated the same. In the time we were there, he was the only senator to address the crowd of several hundred guests. (Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) was spotted in the crowd.)

Israeli Ambassador Sallai Meridor introduced Obama.

“We are particularly honored and extremely happy to have amongst us tonight a very special guest and friend, the distinguished senator from Illinois, Sen. Barack Obama,” Meridor said.

“Senator, rumor has it in Washington that you are running quite a hectic schedule nowadays,” Meridor continued. “We deeply deploy appreciate your special effort to join us here tonight and to celebrate with us the independence of Israel. The state of Israel is honored by your presence here with us tonight.”

Obama spoke from a podium on a small stage at the front of the room, an ornate room with high ceilings and gold trim. He stood in front of an American flag and an Israeli flag. His tone was low-key and quite serious.

He stuck closely to his prepared remarks.But at the end, he added this:

“I am absolutely convinced that our friendship between the two nations is unbreakable. As somebody who has had the great honor of running for the president of the United States of America, I pledge to you that I will do whatever I can in whatever capacity to not only ensure Israel's security but to ensure that the people of Israel are able to thrive and prosper and build on the enormous promise that was made 60 years ago.”

The crowd applauded at the end, and after the following three lines:

“Israel has also developed many friendships, and none is deeper than the bond between the people of Israel and the people of the United States.” (applause)

“And so, minutes after David Ben-Gurion made his announcement, President Truman made the United States the first nation to recognize Israel, …” (applause)

“And it will withstand any challenge to Israel – because America's commitment to Israel's security is unshakeable.” (applause)

Your pooler was rushed out of the auditorium to go to a fundraiser, so she did not have an opportunity to get reaction.

The prepared remarks:

It's wonderful to be here for this historic occasion. This is a time for Israelis, Jews, and all friends of Israel to celebrate the realization of a dream, and to rededicate ourselves to uplifting the promise of Israel's independence.

A few years ago, in the winter of 2006, I had the great privilege of traveling to the Holy Land. It's a place unlike any other on this earth – a place filled with history and promise; a place that has known moments of terrible darkness and extraordinary joy.

One of the most joyful moments came sixty years ago this week when the Jewish State of Israel declared independence. While that day marked a new beginning, it also concluded a journey unlike any other in the history of the world. It's a journey that dates back to Moses leading his people toward a Promised Land. A journey that included centuries of hope for the Jewish people when their dream of a homeland was darkest. A journey that gained new meaning through the work of Zionist leaders like Theodor Herzl, and a new urgency after the terrible suffering and loss of the Holocaust. And it was a dream no longer deferred when David Ben-Gurion declared Israel's independence sixty years ago this week.

The end of this journey was not the end of the challenges facing Israel. The fight for independence – and the fight for the survival of the Jewish State – has endured through decades of war and terror. To this very day, the people of Israel show their uncommon courage and commitment to freedom every time they board a bus, or kiss their children goodbye.

But through these challenges to their state's existence, Israelis have done more than survive – they have forged a brilliant and strong democracy. They have provided a promised land for Jews from around the world. They have built a thriving economy that has spread opportunity to Israel's citizens while enriching the world. And they have developed a rich cultural life, and made enormous contributions to science and the arts.

Israel has also developed many friendships, and none is deeper than the bond between the people of Israel and the people of the United States. (applause) It's a bond rooted in the millions of Jewish immigrants who sought opportunity on America's shores; in the liberation of those awful Nazi death camps in World War II; and in the courageous stance of an American President sixty years ago this week.

It was not a foregone conclusion that Harry Truman would recognize Israel. Senior members of his own government counseled him not to, and many other countries would be slow in embracing the young Jewish State. But Truman stood on principle. He recognized that America shared fundamental values with this new democracy, and that Israel's independence was hard-earned. He would later write that he believed a “solemn promise” had been made to an oppressed people, and he refused to stand in the way of the hopes and dreams of the Jewish people.

And so, minutes after David Ben-Gurion made his announcement, President Truman made the United States the first nation to recognize Israel, (applause) and our abiding friendship was born. It's a friendship rooted in shared interests, shared values, and shared history among our people. It is supported by a strong and bipartisan consensus in this country that I have been proud to be a part of. And it will withstand any challenge to Israel – because America's commitment to Israel's security is unshakeable. (applause)

As I flew in an IDF helicopter during my travels in Israel, I was able to look down at the hills and mountains that have nurtured the dreams of so many generations, while also appreciating the dangers faced by this particularly narrow strip of land between the West Bank and the Mediterranean. But what most struck me was the kindness and resolve of the people I met – people who balanced their hopes for their children, with the need to protect them against Katyusha rockets that had just recently been raining down.

As we celebrate six decades of independence, we know that more work remains to be done to secure a lasting peace for the children of Israel. We know that even as we meet here today, there are those who still have not taken the step that President Truman took 60 years ago in recognizing the Jewish State of Israel.

So let us honor the independence of this great nation; let us celebrate the achievements of six decades; and let us renew the friendship between our nations, and the solemn promise to seek lasting peace and security for the people of Israel.