[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 260 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 260
Recognizing the 62nd anniversary of the independence of the State of
Israel, and reaffirming unequivocal support for the alliance and
friendship between the United States and Israel.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 13, 2010
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mr. Klein of Florida, Mr. Boehner, Mr.
Moore of Kansas, Mr. Cantor, Mr. Towns, Mr. Pence, Mr. Rothman of New
Jersey, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Peters, Mr. Hoekstra, Ms. Corrine
Brown of Florida, Mr. King of New York, Mr. Himes, Mr. McKeon, Mr.
Adler of New Jersey, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Patrick J.
Murphy of Pennsylvania, Mr. Garrett of New Jersey, Ms. Richardson, Mr.
Price of Georgia, Mr. Ellsworth, Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, and
Ms. Wasserman Schultz) submitted the following concurrent resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 62nd anniversary of the independence of the State of
Israel, and reaffirming unequivocal support for the alliance and
friendship between the United States and Israel.
Whereas, on May 14, 1948, the State of Israel declared its independence;
Whereas Israel has provided Jews from all over the world with the opportunity to
reestablish and participate in a Jewish state and society in their
ancient homeland, the Land of Israel, with the city of Jerusalem as its
undivided capital;
Whereas Israel is home to many religious sites sacred to Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam;
Whereas Israel has provided a refuge to Jews who survived the unprecedented
horrors of the Holocaust;
Whereas Israel has also provided a refuge to, and has successfully absorbed,
more than 800,000 Jewish refugees who fled persecution in neighboring
countries in the Middle East;
Whereas the people of Israel have established a pluralistic democracy that
incorporates the freedoms cherished by the people of the United States,
including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of
association, freedom of the press, and government by the consent of the
governed;
Whereas Israel continues to serve as a shining model of democratic values by
regularly holding free and fair elections, promoting the free exchange
of ideas, and vigorously exercising in its Parliament, the Knesset, a
democratic government that is fully representative of its citizens;
Whereas Israel has bravely defended itself from repeated military and terrorist
attacks since it declared its independence;
Whereas the thousands of rocket attacks from violent extremist groups in Gaza
against Israeli civilian targets in recent years have caused hundreds of
casualties and have destroyed homes, schools, buildings, roads, power
lines, and other significant infrastructure;
Whereas several Israeli soldiers, including Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit, continue to
be held hostage by violent militant groups;
Whereas Israel has signed landmark peace treaties and successfully established
peaceful bilateral relations with neighboring Egypt and Jordan;
Whereas despite the deaths of over 1,000 innocent Israelis over the last several
years at the hands of murderous homicide bombers and other violent
militants, the people of Israel continue to seek peace with their
Palestinian neighbors;
Whereas successive Israeli governments, including the present one, have
demonstrated through both words and specific actions that Israel is
committed to the United States-Israel relationship and to the peace
process;
Whereas the present Government of Israel, for the sake of peace, has made
concessions which Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, on October
31, 2009, described as ``unprecedented'';
Whereas President Barack Obama, on June 4, 2008, stated that ``Jerusalem will
remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided.'';
Whereas the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (PL 104-45) states that it is the
policy of the United States that ``Jerusalem should remain an undivided
city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are
protected'' and that ``Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of
the State of Israel'';
Whereas Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on March 22, 2010, stated
that ``The connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel
cannot be denied. The connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem
cannot be denied . . . Jerusalem is not a settlement. It is our
capital.'';
Whereas Vice President Joe Biden, speaking in Jerusalem on March 9, 2010, stated
that `` . . . progress occurs in the Middle East when everyone knows
there is simply no space between the United States and Israel.'';
Whereas Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, on March 22, 2010, stated
that ``This Administration will always stand up for Israel's right to
defend itself. And for Israel, there is no greater strategic threat than
the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran.'';
Whereas the Government of Iran, which rejects Israel's right to exist, is a
continued threat to Israel's safety and security, both through its
sponsorship of Foreign Terrorist Organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah
and through its ongoing efforts to acquire nuclear weapons and the
missiles to deliver them;
Whereas the United States and Israel enjoy a longstanding strategic partnership
and friendship based on shared interests, democratic values, amity, and
respect, and that include educational, scientific, technological,
intelligence, military, and homeland security cooperation;
Whereas the people of the United States share a deep affinity with the people of
Israel and view Israel as a strong and trusted ally;
Whereas the United States was one of the first nations to recognize the State of
Israel, only 11 minutes after its creation; and
Whereas Israel's Independence Day on the Jewish calendar coincides this year
with April 20, 2010: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) recognizes the significance of the 62nd anniversary of
the establishment of the State of Israel as a place of refuge
and national homeland for the Jewish people;
(2) reaffirms its enduring, bipartisan support for the
alliance and friendship between the Governments and peoples of
the United States and Israel, for Israel's security and right
to exist as a democratic, Jewish state, and for its right to
defend itself;
(3) commends the people of Israel for their remarkable
achievements, in the face of adversity, during the past 62
years; and
(4) extends warm congratulations and best wishes to the
people of Israel as they celebrate the 62nd anniversary of
Israel's independence.
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