1Commemorating the 65th anniversary of the birth of the State of
2Israel.

3WHEREAS, The land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish
4people and, despite Jewish exile, the land has remained the
5place where their religious, spiritual and national identity
6were formed; and

7WHEREAS, In 1897, the First Zionist Congress proclaimed the
8right of the Jewish people to national revival in their own
9country, a right acknowledged in 1917 by the Balfour Declaration
10and later reaffirmed by the League of Nations; and

11WHEREAS, The atrocities of the Nazi Holocaust and the death
12of millions of Jews in Europe reestablished and refocused the
13need for an independent Jewish state; and

14WHEREAS, In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted
15a resolution calling for the establishment of an independent
16Jewish state in Palestine and directed inhabitants of the

1country to take actions facilitating this resolution; and

2WHEREAS, The members of the National Council representing the
3Jewish people in Palestine and the Zionist movement of the world
4met and issued a Declaration of Israel's Independence on May 14,
51948; and

6WHEREAS, In a relatively brief time and despite difficult
7challenges in the issues of peace and security, Israel has
8emerged from a fledgling state to one with a successful
9democracy, a strong economy and a powerful military; therefore
10be it

11RESOLVED, That the Senate commemorate the 65th anniversary of
12the birth of the State of Israel.