IV 112th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 314 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 16, 2011 Mr. Pearce (for himself, Mr. Franks of Arizona, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Pitts, Mrs. Schmidt, Mr. Pence, Mr. Gohmert, and Mr. Flores) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Declaring that it is the policy of the United States to support its ally Israel in seeking peace with its neighbors, particularly toward a two-state solution that results in a free, nonmilitarized Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security with the Jewish State of Israel, the home of the Jewish people.

Whereas, on May 14, 1948, Harry S. Truman, President of the United States, recognized the State of Israel eleven minutes after David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister of the State of Israel, declared independence; Whereas throughout its 63-year history, Israel has remained a steadfast ally of the United States in a volatile region; Whereas politicians and presidents in both parties consistently stood with Israel, recognizing that its interests coincide with those of the United States; Whereas Israel is the only truly free, democratic nation in its region, and is surrounded by hostile neighbors that publicly call for its destruction; Whereas Israel continues to absorb rocket attacks, suicide attacks, and other forms of terrorism on an almost constant basis; Whereas, on May 19, 2011, Barack Obama, President of the United States, inexplicably stated that Israel must withdraw to pre-1967 boundaries; Whereas, on May 22, 2011, Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of the State of Israel, told President Obama in the Oval Office that the pre-1967 borders are “indefensible”, and further said, “Those were not boundaries of peace”; Whereas, on May 24, 2011, Prime Minister Netanyahu was invited to address a Joint Meeting of Congress for the second time in his career; Whereas Prime Minister Netanyahu described peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan as “vital”, but “not enough”, adding that he is “committed to a solution of two states for two peoples: a Palestinian state alongside a Jewish state”, and that he is “willing to make painful compromises to achieve this historic peace”; Whereas Prime Minister Netanyahu further noted that in a “genuine peace”, Israel will “be required to give up parts of the ancestral Jewish homeland”, where, he added, “in Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers”; Whereas Prime Minister Netanyahu also stated, “but there is another truth: the Palestinians share this small land with us” and “should enjoy a prosperous economy where their creativity and initiative can flourish”; Whereas Prime Minister Netanyahu further noted that “our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state. It’s always been about the existence of the Jewish state”, noting that the Palestinians have “twice refused generous offers by Israeli prime ministers to establish a Palestinian state on virtually all the territory won by Israel in the Six-Day War”; Whereas Prime Minister Netanyahu called upon the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, to “stand before his people and say, ‘I will accept a Jewish state.’”; Whereas Prime Minister Netanyahu continued, with such a partner, “the Israeli people will be prepared to make a far-reaching compromise” that will reflect the “dramatic demographic changes that have occurred since 1967”, wherein “the vast majority of the 650,000 Israelis who live beyond the 1967 lines reside in neighborhoods and suburbs of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv”; Whereas Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated that the status of the settlements will be decided only in negotiations, but added that Israel “will be generous on the size of a Palestinian state” and that Israel recognizes “that a Palestinian state must be big enough to be viable, to be independent, to be prosperous”; Whereas Prime Minister Netanyahu further stated, “Palestinians from around the world should have a right to immigrate, if they so choose, to a Palestinian state, and that this “means that the Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside the borders of Israel”; Whereas on the status of Jerusalem, Prime Minister Netanyahu noted that “throughout the millennial history of the Jewish capital, the only time that Jews, Christians and Muslims could worship freely, could have unfettered access to their holy sites, has been during Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem”; Whereas Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “Jerusalem must never again be divided. Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel”; Whereas Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, “If Israel simply walked out of the territories, the flow of weapons into a future Palestinian state would be unchecked. And missiles fired from it could reach virtually every home in Israel in less than a minute”; Whereas in concluding his remarks before the Joint Meeting of Congress, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for the role of the United States in the world, saying “Providence entrusted the United States to be the guardian of liberty. All people who cherish freedom owe a profound debt of gratitude to your great nation.”; and Whereas Prime Minister Netanyahu further stated, “I speak on behalf of the Jewish people and the Jewish state when I say to you, representatives of America, thank you”: Now, therefore, be it

That— (1)it is the sense of the House of Representatives that it is the policy of the United States to support its ally Israel in seeking peace with its neighbors, particularly toward a two-state solution that results in a free, nonmilitarized Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security with the Jewish State of Israel, the home of the Jewish people; and (2)the House of Representatives— (A)commends the Prime Minister of Israel for his far-reaching efforts to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians; (B)calls on the Palestinian leadership to return to the negotiating table with Israel; and (C)urges the Administration to mount a global effort to convince the Palestinians and allies of the United States that Palestinian statehood will not be achieved outside of negotiations at the United Nations, and to use the United States veto if the issue comes before the United Nations Security Council in September.