[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 48 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 48

 Commemorating the 46th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 1, 2013

Mr. Wilson of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Meadows, Mr. Cotton, Mr. 
      Duncan of South Carolina, Mr. DeSantis, Mrs. Hartzler, Mr. 
   Westmoreland, Mr. Pearce, and Mr. Cramer) submitted the following 
 concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Commemorating the 46th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem.

Whereas for 3,000 years Jerusalem has been the focal point of Jewish religious 
        devotion;
Whereas there has been a continuous Jewish presence in Jerusalem for three 
        millennia and a Jewish majority in the city since the 1840s;
Whereas the once thriving Jewish majority of the historic Old City of Jerusalem 
        was driven out by force during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War;
Whereas from 1948 to 1967, Jerusalem was a divided city, and Israeli citizens of 
        all faiths, as well as Jewish citizens of all states, were denied access 
        to holy sites in the area controlled by Jordan;
Whereas in 1967, Jerusalem was reunited by Israel during the conflict known as 
        the Six Day War;
Whereas since 1967, Jerusalem has been a united city, and persons of all 
        religious faiths have been guaranteed full access to holy sites within 
        the city;
Whereas this year marks the 46th year that Jerusalem has been administered as a 
        unified city, in which the rights of all faiths have been respected and 
        protected;
Whereas each sovereign country, under international law and custom, has the 
        right to designate its own capital;
Whereas this year marks the 65th anniversary of Israel's independence;
Whereas Jerusalem is the seat of the Government of Israel, including the 
        President, Parliament, and the Supreme Court;
Whereas the United States maintains its embassy in the functioning capital of 
        every country except in the case of Israel, a friend and strategic ally 
        of the United States;
Whereas the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-45), which became law 
        on November 8, 1995, states as a matter of United States policy that 
        Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel; and
Whereas the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 
        107-228) directs that the Secretary of State shall, upon the request of 
        a citizen or a citizen's legal guardian, record the place of birth of a 
        United States citizen born in the city of Jerusalem as Israel: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) congratulates the residents of Jerusalem and the people 
        of Israel on the 46th anniversary of the reunification of that 
        historic city;
            (2) congratulates the people of Israel on the 65th 
        anniversary of their independence;
            (3) strongly believes that Jerusalem must remain an 
        undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and 
        religious group are protected as they have been by Israel 
        during the past 46 years;
            (4) calls upon the President and the Secretary of State to 
        repeatedly affirm publicly, as a matter of United States 
        policy, that Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of the 
        State of Israel;
            (5) strongly urges the President to discontinue the waiver 
        contained in the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-
        45), immediately implement the provisions of that Act, and 
        begin the process of relocating the United States Embassy in 
        Israel to Jerusalem;
            (6) further urges United States officials to refrain from 
        any actions that contradict United States law on this subject; 
        and
            (7) reaffirms Israel's right to take necessary steps to 
        prevent any future division of Jerusalem.
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