[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 843 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 843
Affirming the historical connection of the Jewish people to the ancient
and sacred city of Jerusalem and condemning efforts at the United
Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to
deny Judaism's millennia-old historical, religious, and cultural ties
to Jerusalem.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 8, 2021
Mr. Gaetz submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
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RESOLUTION
Affirming the historical connection of the Jewish people to the ancient
and sacred city of Jerusalem and condemning efforts at the United
Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to
deny Judaism's millennia-old historical, religious, and cultural ties
to Jerusalem.
Whereas for over 3,000 years, Jerusalem has played a central role in the history
and identity of the Jewish people;
Whereas Jerusalem is the location of the holiest site for the Jewish people, the
Temple Mount, as well as the Western Wall, where Jews from across the
world come to pray;
Whereas Jerusalem has been a Christian pilgrimage site for over 2,000 years, and
holds considerable religious significance for Christians;
Whereas Jerusalem is home to the third holiest site in Islam, and holds
considerable religious significance for Muslims;
Whereas Jerusalem serves as a cultural and religious inspiration to billions of
people around the world;
Whereas the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) has passed a series of anti-Israel resolutions in recent years
regarding Jerusalem, both at the Committee level and by the Executive
Board--a governing body of UNESCO;
Whereas these biased resolutions are attempts to erase or minimize the Jewish as
well as Christian historical and religious ties to Jerusalem, and
unjustly single out our close ally Israel with false accusations and
criticism;
Whereas numerous archaeological excavations, such as those taking place in the
City of David, Israel's most archaeologically excavated site, have
uncovered a myriad of antiquities which scientifically reaffirm
Jerusalem's historical significance to Judaism as well as Christianity;
Whereas the City of David is the archaeological site of ancient Jerusalem, and
is believed to be the very site recorded in the Bible upon which King
David established the capital of ancient Israel;
Whereas since 1867, there have been archaeological excavations at the site of
the City of David, including international delegations of archaeologists
from the United States, England, France, and Germany;
Whereas these excavations have unearthed antiquities from over 10 different
civilizations, including Canaanite, Israelite, Roman, Byzantine, and
Persian;
Whereas the current excavations of the City of David are carried out under the
auspices of the Israel Antiquities Authority, and are held to the
highest scientific standards;
Whereas among the most significant archaeological discoveries unearthed from the
City of David include the Siloam Inscription (8th century B.C.E.), which
recounts the preparations made by King Hezekiah of Judah for the
impending Assyrian siege against Jerusalem, consistent with the Biblical
account from 2 Kings; clay seal impressions/bullae (6th century B.C.E.)
bearing the names of two Judean Government officials who are mentioned
in the very same verse in the Bible, Jeremiah 38:1; the Pool of Siloam
(1st century B.C.E.), which served during the Second Temple period as a
ritual bath for the hundreds of thousands of Jewish pilgrims ascending
annually to the Temple, which stood atop the Temple Mount; and the
Second Temple Pilgrimage Road (1st century C.E.), which began at the
Pool of Siloam and served as the main thoroughfare of Second Temple
period Jerusalem that carried hundreds of thousands of people on their
annual pilgrimages to the Temple;
Whereas the Pilgrimage Road located within the City of David, which stretches
600 meters from the Pool of Siloam to the footsteps of the Western Wall,
will be open to visitors upon completion of the excavation; and
Whereas these discoveries affirm the undeniable truth that the City of David,
the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount are inextricably linked
together--physically, historically, and symbolically--as the bedrock of
the connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem, and have been
for millennia: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes and affirms the historical connection of the
Jewish people to the ancient and sacred city of Jerusalem;
(2) recognizes and affirms that the archaeological
discoveries from the City of David, the site of ancient
Jerusalem, present undeniable scientific evidence of the
millennia-old connection of Jerusalem to the Jewish people,
and, by extension, to Christianity;
(3) commends the Government of Israel for protecting the
freedoms of all faiths in Jerusalem including Jews, Christians,
and Muslims, ensuring their access to holy sites so that they
may worship freely;
(4) condemns any past, present, or future efforts at UNESCO
to delegitimize Israel through attempts to rewrite and deny the
history of Jerusalem; and
(5) encourages the United States to continue working with
allies to prevent UNESCO from passing biased and unjust anti-
Israel resolutions in the future.
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