2018 -- H 8103

========

LC005444

========

     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018

____________

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

RECOGNIZING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF ISRAEL'S ESTABLISHMENT AND

REAFFIRMING THE BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP AND COOPERATION BETWEEN RHODE

ISLAND, THE UNITED STATES, AND THE STATE OF ISRAEL

     Introduced By: Representatives Ackerman, Mattiello, Shekarchi, Knight, and Regunberg

     Date Introduced: April 24, 2018

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly voted to

partition British Mandatory Palestine into a Jewish state and Arab state, a decision welcomed by

Jewish leadership and rejected by the Arab world; and

     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 after Israel's first election in 1949; and

     WHEREAS, The desire of the Jewish people to establish an independent modern State of

Israel is directly linked to the existence of the historic kingdom of Israel established in the land of

Israel 3,000 years ago, with the City of Jerusalem as its capital both then and now; and

     WHEREAS, For over 2,000 years, Jews living in other parts of the world maintained a

profound spiritual and emotional connection to the Land of Israel, and there has been continuous

Jewish presence in the land comprising the modern State of Israel; and

     WHEREAS, The establishment of the modern State of Israel as a homeland for the

Jewish people followed the destruction of much of European Jewry during the Holocaust; and

     WHEREAS, Since its establishment 70 years ago, the modern State of Israel has rebuilt

the nation, forged a new and dynamic society, and created a thriving economic, political, cultural,

and intellectual life despite the heavy burdens of war, terrorism, and unjustified diplomatic and

economic boycotts against the people of Israel; and

     WHEREAS, The people of Israel, in the spirit of Israel's Declaration of Independence,

have established a vibrant, pluralistic, democratic political system, which includes freedom of

speech, association, and religion; a vigorously free press; free, fair and open elections; the rule of

law; a fully independent judiciary; and other democratic principles and practices; and

     WHEREAS, Israel has developed some of the world's leading universities, has an

advanced, entrepreneurial economy, is among the world's leaders of the high-tech industry, and is

at the forefront of research and development in the fields of renewable energy sources and

medicine; and

     WHEREAS, Israel regularly sends humanitarian aid, search and rescue teams, mobile

hospitals, and other emergency supplies, to help victims of disasters around the world; and

     WHEREAS, Israel has taken in millions of Jews from countries throughout the world and

sought to fully integrate them into Israeli society; and

     WHEREAS, Israel has established peaceful bilateral relations with Egypt and Jordan and

has sought to achieve a secure peace with the Palestinians and Israel's other Arab neighbors; and

     WHEREAS, For seven decades, Rhode Island, the United States, and Israel have

maintained a special relationship based on mutually shared democratic and moral values,

common strategic interests, and bonds of friendship and mutual respect; and

     WHEREAS, The American people and the people of Rhode Island feel a strong affinity

for the Israeli people based on common values and shared cultural heritage; and

     WHEREAS, The United States and Rhode Island continue to regard Israel as a trusted

ally and vital strategic partner in the volatile Middle East; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representative of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby recognizes the historic significance of the 70th Anniversary of the

reestablishment of the sovereign and independent State of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish

people; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this House hereby reaffirms the bonds of friendship and cooperation

which have existed between Rhode Island, the United States, and Israel for the past 70 years, and

commits to strengthening those bonds; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Mr. Adam Greenman, President and CEO of

the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and Yehuda Yaakov, Consul General of Israel.

========

LC005444

========

LC005444 - Page 2 of 2