State of Israel

WHEREAS, the state of Alabama recognizes the sovereign State of Israel and its right to defend itself against attacks, and that presidential administrations have continuously reaffirmed the United States’ strong support for Israel; and

WHEREAS, the state of Alabama supports Israel in its battle against terrorism, in which the Jewish people have been subject to acts of terror throughout their long history, including the Holocaust of the Nazi terror regime. In 1943, in the midst of World War II, at a time of war against the Axis powers and their effort to exterminate the Jews of Europe through mass murder, Alabama prophetically led the nation as the first state in America to officially call for the establishment of a Jewish homeland; and

WHEREAS, that official call was set forth in a unanimous Joint Resolution, Act 144, SJR 4, 1943 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature approved and signed by the Governor of Alabama on June 10, 1943. Alabama’s 1943 Joint Resolution was passed more than five years prior to the official establishment of the modern State of Israel; and

WHEREAS, in the wake of September 11, 2001, the Alabama Legislature unanimously passed a second Joint Resolution, Act 258, SJR 85, 2002 Regular Session urging national support for the State of Israel and expressing Alabama’s unequivocal support for the State of Israel against the senseless acts of terror; and

WHEREAS, the Governor of Alabama proclaimed August 14, 2006, as Stand with Israel Day in the State of Alabama to proclaim the State of Alabama’s support of the State of Israel in its need to maintain its existence as a country and a democracy, standing with Israel as a state, as a nation, and as a people against terrorism and tyranny and for the cause of freedom and democracy in the Middle East; and

WHEREAS, in April of 2006, the Alabama Legislature passed a Joint Resolution, Act 651, HJR 747 2006 regular Session reaffirming the state’s commitment to support and defend Israel as a faithful ally of the United States. Today, the State of Israel and its people remain the target of terrorist activities; and

WHEREAS, the State of Israel and its people remain the target of terrorist organizations, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the existential threat posed by Iran, a State sponsor of terrorism pursuing the development of a nuclear bomb while stating publically death to America and to Israel; and

WHEREAS, for more than seven decades, the State of Alabama has stood in a covenant bond with the State of Israel , America’s chief democratic ally in the Middle East in an alliance based on shared values and shared interests; and

WHEREAS, on April 28 and April 29, 2015, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Ron Dermer, will address the citizens of Alabama regarding the State of Israel, the Middle East, and present terrorist threats to Israel and all freedom loving nations and people throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, as Alabama led the nation at a critical time in 1943 by expressing her unequivocal support for the creation of the State of Israel and hereby proclaims its enduring support for the State of Israel and its people as they stand against terrorism and tyranny and as they stand for the cause of freedom and democracy in the Middle East and around the world; and

WHEREAS, the State of Alabama hereby proclaims her support of the State of Israel in the face of such threats, and urges President Barak Obama and the Governors of all the Unites States of America to remain steadfast in support of the State of Israel at this critical time; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby express the steadfast support for the

State of Israel

and convey vigorous support for the welfare, security and the continued existence of this democratic nation.