HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1014

        A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, Expressing the strongest support for, and unity with, the State of Israel and recognizing Jerusalem, as Israel's undivided capital.

    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 demilitarized, democratic Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security; and

    WHEREAS, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 claims "the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace"; and

    WHEREAS, by referring to the "4 June 1967 lines" as the basis for negotiations, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 effectively states that the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem and the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, are "occupied territory," thereby equating these sites with outposts in the West Bank that the Israeli government has deemed illegal; and

    WHEREAS, passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 effectively lends legitimacy to efforts by the Palestinian Authority to impose its own solution through international organizations and through unjustified boycotts or divestment campaigns against Israel, and will require the United States and Israel to take effective action to counteract the potential harmful impact of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334; and

    WHEREAS, the Obama Administration's decision not to veto United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 is inconsistent with long-standing United States policy and makes direct negotiations more, not less, challenging; and

    WHEREAS, Israel has been granted her lands under and through the oldest recorded deed, as recorded in the Old Testament scriptures held sacred and revered by Jews and Christians alike, as presenting the acts and words of God; and

    WHEREAS, the claim and presence of the Jewish people in Israel has remained constant throughout the past four thousand years of history; and

    WHEREAS, the legal basis for the establishment of the modern 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, this 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 United Nations Charter 22 recognized the continued validity of the rights granted to states or peoples which already existed under international instruments, and therefore the 1922 League of Nations resolution remains valid, and the six hundred fifty thousand Jews currently residing in the areas of Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem reside there legitimately; and

    WHEREAS, Israel declared its independence and self-governance on May 14, 1948, with the goal of reestablishing its God-given and legally recognized lands as a homeland for the Jewish people; and

    WHEREAS, the United States, having been the first country to recognize Israel as an independent nation and as Israel's principal ally, has enjoyed a close and mutually beneficial relationship with Israel and her people; and

    WHEREAS, there are increasing incidents of anti-Semitism around the world, including across the United States reflected in official hate crime statistics; and

    WHEREAS, the international boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement is one of the main vehicles for spreading anti-Semitism and advocating for the elimination of the Jewish State; and

    WHEREAS, the dramatic increase in boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign activities on college campuses around the country has resulted in increased animosity and intimidation against Jewish students, negatively impacting student programming related to the State of Israel and politics in the Middle East; and

    WHEREAS, leaders of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement say their goal is to eliminate Israel as the home of the Jewish people; and

    WHEREAS, messaging at anti-Israel rallies has adopted the boycott, divestment, and sanctions slogan: "from the river to the sea Palestine will be free" which means that there would be no Israel between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea and that the State of Israel will cease to exist; and

    WHEREAS, Israel is the greatest friend and ally of the United States in the Middle East and the

values of our two nations are so intertwined that it is impossible to separate one from the other; and

    WHEREAS, a strong and independent Israel supports our long cherished beliefs of democracy and liberty which we believe is the right of all mankind; and

    WHEREAS, there are those in the world who have continually sought to destroy Israel, from the time of its inception as a state, and those same enemies of Israel also hate, and seek to destroy, the United States; and

    WHEREAS, the promise of the God of Israel, who is the Creator acknowledged in our own Declaration of Independence and referenced by our own Founding Fathers in the creation of our nation, is that He will bless those who bless Israel. Let it be known that the State of South Dakota openly blesses Israel with our friendship and that we stand in support of the Israeli people and celebrate our many culture ties and gratitude for our cordial and mutually beneficial relations since 1948, a friendship that continues to strengthen with each passing year:

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the Ninety-Second Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the Senate concurring therein, that the Legislature calls on Congress and President Donald J. Trump to oppose and counteract United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 against Israel by all means necessary; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that South Dakota stands proudly with Israel and thanks our only Middle East democracy, for Israel's cordial and mutually beneficial relationship with the United States and with the state of South Dakota. We stand in support of Israel in its legal, historical, moral, and God-given right of self-governance and self-defense of the entirety of its own lands. We recognize that Israel is neither an attacking force nor an occupier of the lands of others, and that peace in the Middle East for us, is contingent on a whole and united Israel; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the chief clerk of the House of Representatives prepare copies of this resolution and forward them to the President of the United States, the speaker and clerk of the United States House of Representatives, the president and secretary of the United States Senate, and the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., for transmission to the proper authorities in the State of Israel.

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Adopted by the House of Representatives,

Concurred in by the Senate,

G. Mark Mickelson Speaker of the House	Arlene Kvislen Chief Clerk of the House
Matt Michels President of the Senate	Kay Johnson Secretary of the Senate