[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 326 Engrossed in House (EH)]
<DOC>
H. Res. 326
In the House of Representatives, U. S.,
December 6, 2019.
Whereas the special relationship between the United States and Israel is rooted
in shared national security interests and shared values of democracy,
human rights, and the rule of law;
Whereas the United States has worked for decades to strengthen Israel's security
through assistance and cooperation on defense and intelligence matters
in order to enhance the safety of United States and Israeli citizens,
including by finalizing in 2016 under the Obama Administration, a 10-
year Memorandum of Understanding, reaffirming the United States'
commitment to annual military assistance and cooperative missile defense
programs, which is in the national interests of both countries;
Whereas the United States remains unwavering in its commitment to help Israel
address the myriad challenges it faces, including terrorism, regional
instability, horrifying violence in neighboring states, and hostile
regimes that call for its destruction;
Whereas the United States, under Presidents of both parties, has provided
bilateral and multilateral foreign assistance to promote the security,
stability, and the humanitarian well-being of Palestinians;
Whereas the United States has long sought a just, stable, and lasting solution
to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that recognizes the Palestinian
right to self-determination and offers Israel long-term security and
full normalization with its neighbors;
Whereas for more than 20 years, Presidents of the United States from both
political parties and Israeli Prime Ministers have supported reaching a
two-state solution that establishes a Palestinian state coexisting side
by side with Israel in peace and security;
Whereas for more than 20 years, Presidents of the United States from both
political parties have opposed settlement expansion, moves toward
unilateral annexation of territory, and efforts to achieve Palestinian
statehood status outside the framework of negotiations with Israel;
Whereas United States administrations from both political parties have put
forward proposals to provide a framework for negotiations toward a two-
state solution, including the parameters put forward by President Bill
Clinton in December 2000, the Road Map proposed by President George W.
Bush in April 2003, and the principles set forth by President Barack
Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry in December 2016;
Whereas ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is vital to the interests of
both parties and the leadership of both parties must negotiate in good
faith in order to achieve peace; and
Whereas delays to a political solution to the conflict between Israelis and
Palestinians pose a threat to the ability to maintain a Jewish and
democratic state of Israel and the establishment of a viable, democratic
Palestinian state: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
(1) only the outcome of a two-state solution that enhances stability
and security for Israel, Palestinians, and their neighbors can both
ensure the state of Israel's survival as a Jewish and democratic state
and fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a
state of their own;
(2) while the United States remains indispensable to any viable
effort to achieve that goal, only the Israelis and the Palestinians can
make the difficult choices necessary to end their conflict;
(3) it is in the enduring United States' national interest to
continue to stand by its ironclad commitments under the 2016 United
States-Israel Memorandum of Understanding, which seeks to help Israel
defend itself against a wide range of threats;
(4) the United States, with the support of regional and
international partners, can play a constructive role toward ending the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict by putting forward a proposal for achieving
a two-state solution that is consistent with previous United States
proposals to resolve the conflict's final status issues in ways that
recognize the Palestinian right to self-determination and enhance
Israel's long-term security and normalization with its neighbors;
(5) it is in the United States' interest to continue promoting the
security, stability, and humanitarian well-being of Palestinians and
their neighbors by resuming the provision of foreign assistance pursuant
to United States law; and
(6) a United States proposal to achieve a just, stable, and lasting
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should expressly endorse a
two-state solution as its objective and discourage steps by either side
that would put a peaceful end to the conflict further out of reach,
including unilateral annexation of territory or efforts to achieve
Palestinian statehood status outside the framework of negotiations with
Israel.
Attest:
Clerk.