PRINTER'S NO. 1697
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
370
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY BAKER, COHEN, THOMAS, MILLARD, DRISCOLL, MURT,
TALLMAN, O'BRIEN, SCHLOSSBERG, JAMES, DiGIROLAMO, TOEPEL,
BRIGGS, FRANKEL, KAUFFMAN, GOODMAN, PASHINSKI, GROVE,
HEFFLEY, WATSON, BENNINGHOFF AND BRADFORD, JUNE 5, 2015
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JUNE 5, 2015
A RESOLUTION
Condemning the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions
movement and its activities in this Commonwealth for seeking
to undermine the Jewish people's right to self-determination,
which they are fulfilling in the State of Israel.
WHEREAS, The residents of this Commonwealth have a history of
standing against bigotry, oppression, discrimination and
injustice; and
WHEREAS, This Commonwealth and Israel have a long history of
friendship and are great allies in support of each other's
interests; and
WHEREAS, The State of Israel, the only democracy in the
Middle East, is the greatest friend and ally of the United
States in the Middle East; and
WHEREAS, There is a strong history of a cultural, economic,
social, business, governmental and educational relationship
between this Commonwealth and the State of Israel; and
WHEREAS, The General Assembly recognizes the importance of
expressing their unabridged support for the Jewish people and
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the State of Israel's right to exist and the right of self-
defense; and
WHEREAS, The first attempt to boycott Jewish interests in the
Pennsylvania Colony occurred in 1662 and was rejected when Sir
Robert Carr, in 1664, assumed command of the Delaware in the
name of the English crown; and
WHEREAS, The instructions to Sir Robert Carr were that "all
people should enjoy the liberty of their conscience," and the
proposed boycott did not occur; and
WHEREAS, American Jews sided overwhelmingly with the American
Revolution, including, Haim Solomon, a Philadelphia citizen who
was a major financier of the American Revolution; and
WHEREAS, Based on official hate crime statistics, there are
increasing incidents of anti-Semitism around the world,
including in the United States and this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, The international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
(BDS) movement is one of the main vehicles for spreading anti-
Semitism and advocating the elimination of the Jewish state; and
WHEREAS, Activities promoting BDS against Israel have
increased in this Commonwealth, including on some college and
university campuses, and contribute to anti-Semitism and anti-
Zionist propaganda; and
WHEREAS, The dramatic increase in BDS movement 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 BDS movement say their goal is to
eliminate Israel as the home of the Jewish people; and
WHEREAS, Signs and messaging at anti-Israel rallies in this
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Commonwealth have adopted the BDS 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, and the
State of Israel would cease to exist; and
WHEREAS, The General Assembly understands that the goals and
activities of BDS campaigns in this Commonwealth are harmful to
this Commonwealth's Jewish citizens and to the Jewish homeland,
Israel, and have a deleterious impact on the educational
environment; and
WHEREAS, The BDS campaign's call for academic boycotts have
been condemned by many of our nation's largest academic
associations, more than 250 university presidents, and many
other leading scholars as a violation of the bedrock principle
of academic freedom; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives condemn the
international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and
its activities in this Commonwealth for seeking to undermine the
Jewish people's right to self-determination, which they are
fulfilling in the State of Israel; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives condemn
activities which contribute directly or indirectly to the
denial, violation or delegitimization of any people's academic
freedom, including the promotion of academic boycotts by the BDS
movement against Israel; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives consider the
international BDS 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 House of Representatives reaffirm its
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support for the State of Israel, recognize that the Jewish
people are indigenous to the land of Israel, condemn all attacks
on the people of Israel, support Israel's right to engage in
lawful acts of self-defense and oppose all attempts to deny the
legitimacy of Israel as a sovereign state; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
the President of the United States, the Congress of the United
States and the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC for transmission
to the proper authorities in the State of Israel.
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