Recognizing the 62nd anniversary of the independence of the State of Israel, and reaffirming unequivocal support for the alliance and friendship between the United States and Israel.

H.CON.RES.260
Introduced: 
April 13, 2010
111
Second
April 13, 2010
Referred to House (sub)committee

191 cosponsors

Would have recognized Israel as a national homeland for the Jewish people and further reaffirmed Congress’ enduring support for the U.S.-Israeli relationship, Israel’s security, its right to exist as a democratic Jewish state, and its right to self-defense.

Introduced nearly every year, resolutions commemorating the founding of Israel typically pass overwhelmingly and without controversy. Included in this resolution however, are whereas clauses that take critical aim at the Obama administration’s diplomatic dispute with the Netanyahu government over settlement construction in East Jerusalem. These clauses cite a statement by Obama during his presidential election campaign that Jerusalem must remain undivided; and a statement by Binyamin Netanyahu at the 2010 America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference that ‘Jerusalem is not a settlement. It is our capital.’

The dispute between the Obama administration and the Netanyahu government also featured prominently in the AIPAC lobbying effort following its 3/21-3/23/10 policy conference in Washington, DC. AIPAC helped organize 500 meetings for 4,000 of its supporters with their Members of Congress and instructed them to ask for their Senators’ and Representative’s support for four specific items. One of these four ‘asks’ was to gain their members’ signatures for one of two letters circulating through Congress (one for members of the House and one for Senators) expressing support for Israel in the midst of the settlement dispute.

The letters were addressed to Secy. of State Clinton and urged her to act to reduce tensions with Israel. Both closely echoed an AIPAC press release issued on 3/14/10 stressing the strategic importance of the U.S.-Israeli relationship, warning that the tensions were distracting both nations from the peace process and the threat from Iran, and containing the same quote by Vice President Jo Biden saying ‘Progress occurs in the Middle East when everyone knows there is simply no space between the U.S. and Israel.’

Amplifying the message further, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) who initiated the House letter, delivered speeches at the conference stressing the need for the U.S. to keep disagreements with Israel private.

In addition to Hoyer and Cantor the House letter was originally signed and circulated by the senior Democrats and Republicans with power over legislation dealing with U.S. foreign affairs in the Middle East: Howard Berman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs (HCFA), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Republican Member on the HCFA; Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Chairman of the HCFA Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia; and Dan Burton Ranking Republican on the Subcommittee. It was delivered to Clinton with 334 signatures (327 gathered in three days) on 3/26/10. The Senate version was originally signed and circulated by Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and sent on 4/13/10 with 76 signatures.

See also: related measures H. Res. 1191 of 3/18/10, SA 3690 to H.R. 4872 of 3/24/10, and H. Con. Res. 271 of 4/29/10.

Sponsor/Cosponsors:

Robert Aderholt(R-AL)John Adler(D-NJ)Rodney Alexander(R-LA)Michael Arcuri(D-)Steve Austria(R-OH)Joe Baca(D-CA)Michele Marie Bachmann(R-MN)Spencer Bachus(R-AL)John Barrow(D-GA)Roscoe Bartlett(R-MD)Joe Barton(R-TX)Melissa Bean(D-IL)Shelly Berkley(D-NV)Marion Berry(D-AR)Brian Bilbray(R-CA)Gus Bilirakis(R-FL)Rob Bishop(R-UT)Marsha Blackburn(R-TN)Roy Blunt(R-MO)John Boccieri(D-OH)John Boehner(R-OH)Jo Bonner(R-AL)Mary Bono(R-CA)John Boozman(R-AR)Dan Boren(D-OK)Leonard Boswell(D-IA)Kevin Brady(R-TX)Bobby Bright(D-AL)Paul Jr. Broun(R-GA)Corrine Brown(D-FL)Henry Brown(R-SC)Ginny Brown-Waite(R-FL)Vernon Buchanan(R-FL)Michael Burgess(R-TX)Dan Burton(R-IN)Ken Calvert(R-CA)John Campbell(R-CA)Eric Cantor(R-VA)Anh "Joseph" Cao(R-LA)Shelly Moore Capito(R-WV)John Carter(R-TX)Jason Chaffetz(R-UT)Howard Coble(R-NC)Mike Coffman(R-CO)Tom Cole(R-OK)Mike Conaway(R-TX)Gerry Connolly(D-VA)Jim Costa(D-CA)Jerry Costello(D-IL)Ander Crenshaw(R-FL)John Culberson(R-TX)Elijah Cummings(D-MD)Danny Davis(D-IL)Charlie Dent(R-PA)Ted Deutch(D-FL)Lincoln Diaz-Balart(R-FL)Mario Diaz-Balart(R-FL)Steve Driehaus(D-OH)Brad Ellsworth(D-IN)Eliot Engel(D-)Eni Faleomavaega(D-AS)Bill Foster(D-IL)Virginia Foxx(R-NC)Trent Franks(R-AZ)Rodney Frelinghuysen(R-NJ)Elton Gallegly(R-CA)Scott Garrett(R-NJ)Jim Gerlach(R-PA)Phil Gingrey(R-GA)Louis Jr. Gohmert(R-TX)Bob Goodlatte(R-VA)Bart Gordon(D-TN)Alan Grayson(D-FL)Al Green(D-TX)Parker Griffith(D-AL)Phillip Hare(D-IL)Doc Hastings(R-WA)Dean Heller(R-NV)Jeb Hensarling(R-TX)Wally Herger(R-CA)Stephanie Herseth Sandlin(D-SD)Jim Himes(D-CT)Peter Hoekstra(R-MI)Tim Holden(D-PA)Duncan Hunter(D-CA)Bob Inglis(R-SC)Steve Israel(D-)Lynn Jenkins(R-KS)Timothy Johnson(R-IL)James Jordan(R-OH)Steve Kagen(D-WI)Mary Jo Kilroy(D-OH)Pete King(R-)Jack Kingston(R-GA)Mark Kirk(R-IL)Larry Kissell(D-NC)Ron Klein(D-FL)Suzanne Kosmas(D-FL)Douglas Lamborn(R-CO)Leonard Lance(R-NJ)Tom Latham(R-IA)Robert Latta(R-OH)Chris Lee(R-NY)John Linder(R-GA)Frank Lobiondo(R-NJ)Connie Mack(R-FL)Dan Maffei(D-NY)Kenny Ewell Marchant(R-TX)Tom McClintock(R-CA)Thaddeus McCotter(R-MI)James McGovern(D-MA)Patrick McHenry(R-NC)Howard McKeon(R-CA)Michael McMahon(D-NY)Cathy McMorris Rodgers(R-WA)Kendrick Meek(D-FL)Mike Michaud(D-ME)Jeff Miller(R-FL)Gary Miller(R-CA)Candice Miller(R-MI)Dennis Moore(D-KS)Jerry Moran(R-KS)Patrick Murphy(D-PA)Scott Murphy(D-NY)Tim Murphy(R-PA)Richard Neal(D-MA)Randy Neugebauer(R-TX)Devin Gerald Nunes(R-CA)Glenn Nye(D-VA)Pete Olson(R-TX)Solomon Ortiz(D-TX)Frank Pallone Jr(D-NJ)Erik Paulsen(R-MN)Mike Pence(R-IN)Gary Peters(D-MI)Pedro Pierluisi(D-PR)Joe Pitts(R-PA)Todd Platts(R-PA)Ted Poe(R-TX)Bill Posey(R-FL)Tom Price(R-GA)Adam Putnam(R-FL)Mike Quigley(D-IL)George Radanovich(R-CA)Dave Reichert(R-WA)Laura Richardson(D-CA)David "Phil" Roe(R-TN)Hal Rogers(R-KY)Mike D Rogers(R-AL)Mike J. Rogers(R-MI)Dana Rohrabacher(R-CA)Tom Rooney(R-FL)Peter Roskam(R-IL)Steve Rothman(D-NJ)Ed Royce(R-CA)Dutch Ruppersberger(D-MD)Bobby Rush(D-IL)Paul Ryan(R-WI)Linda Sanchez(D-CA)John Sarbanes(D-MD)Stephen Joseph Scalise(R-LA)Jean Schmidt(R-OH)Aaron Schock(R-IL)Pete Sessions(R-TX)Carol Shea-Porter(D-NH)John Shimkus(R-IL)Bill Shuster(R-PA)Albio Sires(D-NJ)Chris Smith(R-NJ)Lamar Smith(R-TX)Mark Souder(R-IN)Zachary Space(D-OH)Cliff Stearns(R-FL)John Sullivan(R-OK)Betty Sue Sutton(D-OH)Lee Terry(R-NE)Glenn Thompson(R-PA)Todd Tiahrt(R-KS)Patrick Tiberi(R-OH)Edolphus Towns(D-)Michael Turner(R-OH)Chris Van Hollen(D-MD)Greg Walden(R -OR)Zach Wamp(R-TN)Debbie Wasserman-Shultz(D-FL)Anthony Weiner(D-)Lynn Westmoreland(R-GA)Joe Wilson(R-SC)Robert Wittman(R-VA)Frank Wolf(R-VA)C W Bill Young(R-FL)

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