HR1001 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1001 LRB100 21646 MST 38877 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly voted to partition British Mandatory Palestine into a Jewish state and an 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, where there has been a 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, freedom of association, and freedom of 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; and

WHEREAS, Israel has developed 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; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the 70th anniversary of Israel's establishment and reaffirm the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the United States, the State of Illinois, and Israel.