LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION congratulating the State of Israel upon the occa-
sion of the 68th Anniversary of its independence and reaffirming the
bonds of friendship and cooperation between the State of New York and
Israel

WHEREAS, May 12, 2016, marks the 68th Anniversary of the founding of the
modern State of Israel in the ancestral home of the Jewish people; and
WHEREAS, On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly
voted to partition the British Mandate of Palestine, and through that
vote, to create the State of Israel; and
WHEREAS, Israel was officially declared an independent nation on May
14, 1948, in fulfillment of the eternal desire of the Jewish people to
return to the land of the historic Kingdom of Israel established 3,000
years ago and to the holy city of Jerusalem; and
WHEREAS, A century ago at the First Zionist Congress, in Basel, Swit-
zerland, participants under the leadership of Theodore Herzl affirmed
the desire to reestablish a Jewish homeland in the historic land of
Israel; and
WHEREAS, The modern State of Israel was born out of the ashes of the
Holocaust and World War II where the death of six million Jews did not
eliminate the will of a people to seek dignity in life and a place of
respect and recognition among the people of the civilized world; and
WHEREAS, Israel, since its inception, when the combined forces of five
Arab nations invaded to destroy the dream of the Jewish people, contin-
ues to face the hostility, and frequently through the years of its
statehood, the armed aggression, of its neighbors; and
WHEREAS, Despite these conflicts, in the 68 years since its establish-
ment, the modern State of Israel has rebuilt a nation, forged a new and
dynamic society, and created a unique and vital economic, political,
cultural and intellectual life despite the heavy cost of six wars,
terrorism, international ostracism and economic boycotts; and
WHEREAS, In its 68 years of statehood, Israel has established a modern
parliamentary democracy and has become the most successful democracy in
the Middle East, and has provided its citizens with the highest stand-
ards of living and human equality in a region otherwise beset with
poverty and human rights abuses; and
WHEREAS, Israel has made significant global contributions in the
fields of science, medicine, and technology; and
WHEREAS, Israel continues to strive for peace with security and digni-
ty for itself, its neighbors and throughout the world in order to
fulfill the prophecy of becoming a light unto the nations; and
WHEREAS, The people of New York share an affinity with the people of
Israel and view Israel as a strong and trusted ally; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate the State of Israel upon the occasion of the 68th Anniver-
sary of its independence and reaffirming the bonds of friendship and
cooperation between the State of New York and Israel; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Consul General of Israel for New York, Ido Aharoni.