A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, Petitioning Congress and the President to defend Israel against hostile actions; expressing the strongest support for, and unity with, the people and State of Israel; and strongly condemning the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and the increasing incidents of anti-Semitism against Israel and the Jewish people.

    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

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    WHEREAS, the binding 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 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, signs and messaging at anti-Israel rallies across the United States and world have adopted the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions slogan, "from the river to the sea Palestine will be free," meaning there would be no Israel between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, that the State of Israel would cease to exist; and

    WHEREAS, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign's call for academic
boycotts have been condemned by many of our nation's largest academic associations, over two hundred fifty university presidents, and many other leading scholars as a violation of the bedrock principle of academic freedom; and

    WHEREAS, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement seeks to pressure Israel into unilateral concession, helping Palestinians avoid the concession on their part which would be necessary in any negotiated settlement; and

    WHEREAS, while we defend the freedom of speech of those who wish to criticize Israel, the critics have no right to be free of rightful criticism of their anti-Semitism; 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 duly elected representatives of South Dakota recognize the importance of expressing South Dakota's unabridged support for the Jewish people and the State of Israel's

right to exist and their right of self-defense; 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:

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the Ninety-Fourth Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the Senate concurring therein, that the South Dakota Legislature states that South Dakota stands proudly with Israel and thanks the 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. South Dakotans reaffirm their support for the State of Israel, we recognize that the Jewish people are indigenous to the land of Israel, we condemn all attacks on the people of Israel, we support Israel's right to engage in lawful acts of self-defense, and we oppose all attempts to deny the legitimacy of Israel as a sovereign state; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, 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; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the South Dakota Legislature condemns the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and its activities in the United States for seeking to undermine the Jewish people's right to self-determination, which they are fulfilling in the State of Israel; and

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    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the South Dakota Legislature condemns activities that contribute directly or indirectly to the denial, violation, or delegitimization of any peoples' academic freedom, including, but not limited to, promotion of academic boycotts by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the South Dakota Legislature consider the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and its agenda inherently antithetical and deeply damaging to the causes of peace, justice, equality, democracy, and human rights for all peoples in the Middle East; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the South Dakota Legislature calls on Congress and President Donald J. Trump to continue America's support of Israel by denouncing the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions efforts against our ally and, we call on them to immediately respond to any hostile actions against Israel by all means necessary; 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 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin, Knesset Speaker Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, and other proper authorities in the State of Israel.