A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, Commending the nation of Israel for its cordial and mutually beneficial relationship with the United States and with the State of South Dakota.

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 by a promise made by God to Abraham, father to the Jewish nation (Genesis 12:1-3); 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

WHEREAS, this 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 re-establishing 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, messaging at anti-Israel rallies has adopted the boycott, divestment, and sanctions slogan: "from the river to the sea Palestine will be free" which means that there would be no Israel between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and that the State of Israel will cease to exist; and

WHEREAS, Israel is the greatest friend and ally of the United States in the Middle East and the our values of our two nations are so intertwined that it is impossible to separate one from the other are very similar; and

WHEREAS, there are those in the Middle East 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 promise of the God of Israel, who is the God stated in our Constitution, is that He will bless those who bless Israel, and be it is that God will bless those that will bless Israel and let it also be known that the State of South Dakota openly blesses Israel with gratitude for our cordial and mutually beneficial relations since 1948, a friendship that continues to strengthen with each passing year:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the Ninety-Fifth Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the Senate concurring therein, that the Legislature commends Israel for its cordial and mutually beneficial relationship with the United States and with the State of South Dakota, supports Israel in its legal, historical, moral, and God-given right of self-governance and self-defense upon the entirety of its own lands, and recognizes that Israel is neither an attacking force nor an occupier of the lands of others, and that peace can be afforded the region only through a whole and united Israel recognize Israel as our principal ally in the Middle East.