[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 118 (Friday, July 31, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE JERUSALEM EMBASSY AND RECOGNITION ACT OF 2009

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                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 30, 2009

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, forty-two years ago, during the 
Six Day War of 1967, Israeli troops reunified the city of Jerusalem. 
Since then, people of all religious faiths have been guaranteed full 
access to holy sites within the city, and the rights of all faiths have 
been respected and protected.
  In 1995, the U.S. Congress declared that it is the official position 
of the United States that Jerusalem is, and rightly ought to remain, 
the undivided capital of Israel. Since that time, the Congress has 
repeatedly and overwhelmingly adopted multiple resolutions reaffirming 
this commitment to Jerusalem's continued status as a unified, undivided 
city. President Obama has also pledged his personal support for 
Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. On June 4, 2008, while still 
serving as a United States Senator, President Obama said that: 
``Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain 
undivided.''
  Despite this apparent unanimity, however, the United States has 
inexplicably never acted to move the United States Embassy from Tel 
Aviv to Jerusalem. United States officials do conduct diplomatic 
meetings and other business in the city of Jerusalem in de facto 
recognition of its status as the capital of Israel, but the Embassy 
remains firmly grounded in Tel Aviv.
  Every sovereign country has the right to designate its own capital 
and the United States maintains its Embassy in the functioning capital 
of every country. The one exception is Israel, a great friend and ally 
to the United States. The President of Israel, the Knesset--Israel's 
Parliament--and the Israeli Supreme Court are all located in Jerusalem; 
and that is where the Embassy of the United States rightfully should be 
as well.
  I rise today to introduce the ``Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act 
of 2009'' which mandates the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to 
Jerusalem, and reaffirms U.S. policy that Jerusalem must remain the 
undivided capital of Israel; for two reasons. First, passing this bill 
and immediately relocating the United States Embassy to Jerusalem will, 
in my opinion, send a strong message to the Iranian regime that the 
United States stands in strong solidarity with the people of Israel--we 
will not tolerate the mullahs' constant threats against Israel, and we 
will not accommodate their pursuit of a nuclear bomb. Second, passing 
this bill will send a bipartisan message to the Administration that the 
United States Congress remains strongly committed to Jerusalem's 
continued status as a unified, undivided city; a position that 
President Obama--despite his comments from June 4, 2008--appears to be 
backing away from.
  For example, Presidential Determination 2009-19, which was 
transmitted by the Administration to Congress just a couple of months 
ago, renewed a legally required waiver which allows the Administration 
to continue to delay the May 31, 1999 deadline for moving the U.S. 
Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. While the renewal of the 
waiver was not unexpected or unusual, the actual text of the waiver 
message did contain a surprise. The Obama Administration neglected to 
include a key sentence that the previous Administration had included in 
previous determinations; specifically: ``My Administration remains 
committed to beginning the process of moving our embassy to 
Jerusalem.''
  Madam Speaker, I sincerely hope that the crucial omission in 
Presidential Determination 2009-19 was an inadvertent oversight. Even 
if it was, I believe it is well past time to revisit the Jerusalem 
Embassy Act and close, once and for all, the ludicrous waiver loophole 
that has continued to allow the diplomatic embarrassment of not having 
our Embassy located in the capital city of Israel to continue for ten 
years. I strongly urge my colleagues to demonstrate their support for 
the people of Israel by co-sponsoring this important bill.

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