H. J. Res. 102

One Hundred Fifth Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,

the twenty-seventh day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight

Joint Resolution

Expressing the sense of the Congress on the occasion of the 50th anniversary

of the founding of the modern State of Israel and reaffirming the bonds of

friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel.

Whereas on November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly voted to partition the British Mandate of Palestine, and

through that vote, to create the State of Israel;

Whereas on May 14, 1948, the people of Israel proclaimed the

establishment of the sovereign and independent State of Israel

and the United States Government established full diplomatic

relations with Israel;

Whereas the desire of the Jewish people to establish an independent

modern State of Israel is the outgrowth of the existence of the

historic Kingdom of Israel established three thousand years ago

in the city of Jerusalem and in the land of Israel;

Whereas one century ago at the First Zionist Congress on August

29 to 31, 1897, in Basel, Switzerland, participants under the

leadership of Theodore Herzl affirmed the desire to reestablish

a Jewish homeland in the historic land of Israel;

Whereas the establishment of the modern State of Israel as a

homeland for the Jews followed the slaughter of more than six

million European Jews during the Holocaust;

Whereas since its establishment 50 years ago, the modern State

of Israel has rebuilt a nation, forged a new and dynamic society,

and created a unique and vital economic, political, cultural, and

intellectual life despite the heavy costs of six wars, terrorism,

international ostracism, and economic boycotts;

Whereas the people of Israel have established a vibrant and functioning pluralistic democratic political system including freedom

of speech, a free press, free and fair and open elections, the

rule of law, and other democratic principles and practices;

Whereas, at great social and financial costs, Israel has absorbed

hundreds of thousands of Jews from countries throughout the

World, many of them refugees from Arab countries, and fully

integrated them into Israeli society;

Whereas for half a century the United States and Israel have

maintained a special relationship based on mutually shared democratic values, common strategic interests, and moral bonds of

friendship and mutual respect; and

Whereas the American people have shared an affinity with the

people of Israel and regard Israel as a strong and trusted ally

and an important strategic partner: Now, therefore, be it
H. J. Res.102—2

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

United States of America in Congress assembled, That the United

States—

(1) recognizes the historic significance of the 50th anniversary of the reestablishment of the sovereign and independent

modern State of Israel;

(2) commends the people of Israel for their remarkable

achievements in building a new state and a pluralistic democratic society in the Middle East in the face of terrorism,

hostility and belligerence by many of her neighbors;

(3) reaffirms the bonds of friendship and cooperation which

have existed between the United States and Israel for the

past half-century and which have been significant for both

countries; and

(4) extends the warmest congratulations and best wishes

to the State of Israel and her people for a peaceful and prosperous and successful future.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.