A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, commending Israel for its cordial and mutually beneficial relationship with this State and the United States.

WHEREAS, Israel has been granted her lands under and through the oldest deed, as recorded in the Old Testament, a tome of scripture held sacred and revered by Jews and Christians alike; and

WHEREAS, the claim and presence of the Jewish people in Israel has remained constant throughout the past four thousand years; 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 the United States Congress; and

WHEREAS, Article 80 of the United Nations Charter recognized the continued validity of the rights granted to states or peoples that already existed under international instruments; and

WHEREAS, Israel declared its independence and self-governance on May 14, 1948, with the goal of reestablishing its 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, Israel is a great friend and ally of the United States in the Middle East;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the Ninety-Seventh Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the Senate concurring therein, that Israel be commended for its cordial and mutually beneficial relationship with the United States and the State of South Dakota, since 1948, and that in the coming years and decades, the relationship continue to strengthen and be valued, in this state and in this country, in all its dimensions.