Bill Text: VA HJR659 | 2015 | Regular Session | Engrossed

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Israel, State of; encouraging support for the State.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 15-2)

Status: (Passed) 2015-02-26 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ659ER) [HJR659 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2015-HJR659-Engrossed.html

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15101883D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 659 House Amendments in [ ] – February 4, 2015 Encouraging support for the State of Israel. ---------- Patron Prior to Engrossment--Delegate Pogge ---------- Referred to Committee on Rules ----------

WHEREAS, the land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people and, despite the Jewish exile, the land has remained the place where the religious, spiritual, and national identity of the State of Israel was formed; and

WHEREAS, Israel has been granted its lands under and through the oldest recorded deed, the Old Testament, a tome of scripture held sacred and revered by Jews and Christians as presenting the acts and words of God; and

WHEREAS, as the grantor of those lands, God stated to the Jewish people in Leviticus 20:24, "Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey"; and

WHEREAS, the legal basis for the establishment of the State of Israel was a binding resolution under international law, which was unanimously adopted by the League of Nations in 1922 and subsequently affirmed by both houses of the United States Congress; and

WHEREAS, the resolution affirmed the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in the historical region of the land of Israel, including the areas of Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem; and

WHEREAS, Article 80 of the Charter of the United Nations recognized the continued validity of the rights granted to states or peoples that already existed under international instruments; therefore, the 1922 League of Nations resolution is still valid, and the thousands of Jews currently residing in the areas of Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem reside there legitimately; and

WHEREAS, the State of Israel declared its independent control and governance of those lands on May 14, 1948, with the goal of reestablishing its God-given lands as a homeland for the Jewish people; and

WHEREAS, the United States was the first [ county country ] to recognize Israel as an independent nation in 1948; and

WHEREAS, the State of Israel is the greatest friend and ally of the United States in the Middle East, and the values and destinies of both countries are inseparable; and

WHEREAS, the State of Israel and the Commonwealth of Virginia have enjoyed cordial and mutually beneficial relations since 1948, a friendship that continues to strengthen with each passing year; and

WHEREAS, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob promises in Genesis 12:3 "to bless those that bless Israel"; and

WHEREAS, United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 (1967) recognized Israel's "right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force"; and

WHEREAS, there are those in the Middle East who have continually sought to destroy Israel from the time of its inception as a state, and those enemies also abhor and desire the destruction of the United States; and

WHEREAS, today, Israel faces continued threats to its safety and security from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That support for the State of Israel be encouraged; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the cordial and mutually beneficial relationship between the Commonwealth of Virginia, the United States, and the State of Israel be encouraged; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the State of Israel has the right to live in peace and to defend itself, that Israel be recognized as neither an attacking force nor an occupier of the lands of others, and that peace can be achieved in the Middle East region only through a whole and united Israel governed under one law for all people; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the State of Israel's legal, historical, moral, and God-given right of self-governance and self-defense throughout the entirety of its land be supported; and, be it

RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to the President of the United States, the United States Secretary of State, the United States Secretary of Defense, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the President of the United States Senate, the Virginia Congressional Delegation, and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, requesting that they further disseminate copies of this resolution to their respective constituents so that they may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter.