III 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 165 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
NOVEMBER 30, 2016 
Received 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress and reaffirming long-
standing United States policy in support of a direct 
bilaterally negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict and opposition to United Nations Security Coun-
cil resolutions imposing a solution to the conflict. 
Whereas the United States has long supported a negotiated 
settlement leading to a sustainable two-state solution 
with the democratic, Jewish state of Israel and a demo-
cratic Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and 
security; 
Whereas it is the long-standing policy of the United States 
Government 
that 
a 
peaceful 
resolution 
to 
the 
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HCON 165 RDS 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict will only come through direct, 
bilateral negotiations between the two parties; 
Whereas President Barack Obama reiterated this policy at 
the United Nations General Assembly in 2011, stating, 
‘‘Peace is hard work. Peace will not come through state-
ments and resolutions at the United Nations—if it were 
that easy, it would have been accomplished by now. Ulti-
mately, it is the Israelis and the Palestinians who must 
live side by side. Ultimately, it is the Israelis and the Pal-
estinians—not us—who must reach agreement on the 
issues that divide them * * *’’; 
Whereas the Palestinian Authority has failed to end incite-
ment to hatred and violence through Palestinian Author-
ity-directed institutions against Israel and Israelis, and 
end payments to prisoners and the families of those who 
have engaged in terrorism or acts of violence against 
Israelis or the State of Israel; 
Whereas the Palestinian Authority has continued to provide 
payments to prisoners and the families of those who have 
engaged in terrorism or acts of violence against Israelis 
or the State of Israel, including reports of approximately 
$300 million in 2016; 
Whereas efforts to impose a solution or parameters for a so-
lution can make negotiations more difficult and can set 
back the cause of peace; 
Whereas it is long-standing practice of the United States 
Government to oppose and, if necessary, veto United Na-
tions Security Council resolutions dictating additional 
binding parameters on the peace process; 
Whereas it is also the historic position of the United States 
Government to oppose and veto, if necessary, one-sided or 
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anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations Security 
Council; 
Whereas and for this reason, the United States has vetoed 
42 Israel-related resolutions in the United Nations Secu-
rity Council since 1972; 
Whereas the Palestinian Authority must engage in broad, 
meaningful, and systemic reforms in order to ultimately 
prepare its institutions and people for statehood and 
peaceful coexistence with Israel; and 
Whereas unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state would 
bypass negotiations and undermine incentives for the Pal-
estinian Authority to make the changes necessary that 
are prerequisites for peace: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), that it is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) a durable and sustainable peace agreement 
between Israel and the Palestinians will come only 
through direct bilateral negotiations between the 
parties; 
(2) any widespread international recognition of 
a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood out-
side of the context of a peace agreement with Israel 
would cause severe harm to the peace process, and 
would likely trigger the implementation of penalties 
under sections 7036 and 7041(j) of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2016 (Public Law 114–113); 
(3) efforts by outside bodies, including the 
United Nations Security Council, to impose an 
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agreement or parameters for an agreement are likely 
to set back the cause of peace; 
(4) the United States Government should con-
tinue to oppose and veto United Nations Security 
Council resolutions that seek to impose solutions to 
final status issues, or are one-sided and anti-Israel; 
and 
(5) the United States Government should con-
tinue to support and facilitate the resumption of ne-
gotiations without preconditions between Israelis and 
Palestinians toward a sustainable peace agreement. 
Passed the House of Representatives November 29, 
2016. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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