00                    HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 26                                                                   
01 Commending the State of Israel for its cordial and mutually beneficial relationship with                                
02 the United States and Alaska; and supporting the right of the State of Israel to self-                                  
03 governance and self-defense.                                                                                            
04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
05       WHEREAS the land of the State of Israel was originally granted to the people of                                 
06 Israel by a deed recorded in the Old Testament; and                                                                     
07       WHEREAS the Jewish people have lived in and claimed the land belonging to the                                   
08 State of Israel for 4,000 years; and                                                                                    
09       WHEREAS, in 1920, the San Remo Resolution established the legal basis under                                     
10 international law for the modern State of Israel; and                                                                   
11       WHEREAS, in 1922, the Council of the League of Nations confirmed the San Remo                                   
12 Resolution and the United States Congress enacted a joint resolution that was signed by the                             
13 President supporting a national state for the Jewish people; and                                                        
14       WHEREAS the San Remo Resolution confirmed the establishment of a national                                       
15 home for the Jewish people in the historical region of the Land of Israel, including the areas                          
01 of Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem; and                                                                                   
02       WHEREAS the action taken by the Council of the League of Nations in 1922 remains                                
03 valid, and the 650,000 Jewish persons in the areas of Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem                             
04 reside there legitimately because, in 1945, Article 80 of the United Nations Charter                                    
05 recognized the validity of their existing rights under international law; and                                           
06       WHEREAS the State of Israel declared its independence and self-governance on                                    
07 May 14, 1948, with the goal of establishing its historical and legally recognized land as a                             
08 homeland for Jewish people; and                                                                                         
09       WHEREAS the United States was the first country to recognize the State of Israel as                             
10 an independent nation and, as the principal ally of the State of Israel, enjoys a close and                             
11 mutually beneficial relationship with Israel and its people; and                                                        
12       WHEREAS the State of Israel is the greatest friend and ally of the United States in                             
13 the Middle East, and the values of the two nations are intertwined and impossible to separate;                          
14 and                                                                                                                     
15       WHEREAS Alaska and the State of Israel have enjoyed cordial and mutually                                        
16 beneficial relations since 1948, and this friendship grows stronger each year; and                                      
17       WHEREAS the persons in the Middle East who are trying to destroy Israel also hate                               
18 the United States and seek to destroy the United States; and                                                            
19       WHEREAS the State of Israel has the right to defend itself from those who try to                                
20 destroy it and has used force only when necessary to defend itself; and                                                 
21       WHEREAS peace cannot be achieved in the Middle East unless Israel is united and                                 
22 whole;                                                                                                                  
23       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature commends the State of Israel                                   
24 for its cordial and mutually beneficial relationship with the United States and Alaska and                              
25 supports the legal, historical, and moral right of the State of Israel to self-governance and the                       
26 defense of its lands.