00                      HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 38                                                                     
01 Recognizing the State of Israel on the 60th anniversary of its founding.                                                
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS on May 14, 1948, the people of Israel proclaimed the establishment of                                   
04 the sovereign and independent State of Israel;                                                                          
05       WHEREAS the United States was the first nation to recognize the new state;                                      
06       WHEREAS the desire of the Jewish people to establish an independent modern State                                
07 of Israel was the outgrowth of the existence of the historic Kingdom of Israel established                              
08 3,000 years ago in the city of Jerusalem and in the land of Israel;                                                     
09       WHEREAS in 1897, at the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, participants,                           
10 under the leadership of Theodor Herzl, affirmed the desire to establish a Jewish homeland in                            
11 the historic land of Israel;                                                                                            
12       WHEREAS the establishment of the modern State of Israel as a Jewish homeland                                    
13 followed the slaughter during World War II of more than 6,000,000 Jews in what is now                                   
14 known as the Holocaust;                                                                                                 
15       WHEREAS since its establishment 60 years ago, the modern State of Israel has                                    
16 forged a new and dynamic society and created a unique and vital economic, political, cultural,                          

01 and intellectual life despite the heavy costs of wars, terrorism, international ostracism, and                          
02 economic boycotts;                                                                                                      
03       WHEREAS the people of Israel have established a vibrant, pluralistic democratic                                 
04 political system that embraces freedom of speech; a free press; free, fair, and open elections;                         
05 the rule of law; and other democratic principles and practices;                                                         
06       WHEREAS at great social and financial costs, Israel has absorbed hundreds of                                    
07 thousands of Jewish refugees from around the world and integrated them into Israeli society;                            
08       WHEREAS Alaska shares a special connection to Israel because Alaska Airlines                                    
09 participated in the rescue of 40,000 Yemenite Jews by flying thousands of them from Yemen                               
10 to Tel Aviv during 1948 and 1949; and                                                                                   
11       WHEREAS for 60 years, the United States and Israel have maintained a strong and                                 
12 special relationship based on mutually shared democratic values, common strategic interests,                            
13 and moral bonds of friendship and mutual respect; and                                                                   
14       WHEREAS the American people have shared an affinity with the people of Israel and                               
15 regard Israel as a strong and trusted ally;                                                                             
16       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the historic                                        
17 significance of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the sovereign and independent                              
18 modern State of Israel; and be it                                                                                       
19       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature commends the people of                                       
20 Israel for their remarkable achievements in building a new state and a pluralistic democratic                           
21 society in the Middle East in the face of war, terrorism, isolation, and hostility from beyond                          
22 and within their borders; and be it                                                                                     
23       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature reaffirms the strong bonds                                   
24 of friendship and cooperation that have existed between the United States and Israel for more                           
25 than a half-century; and be it                                                                                          
26       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature extends the warmest                                          
27 congratulations and best wishes to the State of Israel and her people for a peaceful,                                   
28 prosperous, and successful future.                                                                                      
29       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to David Akov, Consulate General of Israel to                           
30 the Pacific Northwest; and the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski,                                  
31 U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska                                  

01 delegation in Congress.