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 Assem-
bly 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 func-
tioning 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 demo-
cratic 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 anniver-
sary 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 demo-
cratic 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 pros-
perous and successful future.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.