The US House of Representatives on Friday unanimously passed a resolution affirming the "strongest of bilateral ties with the State of Israel," in honor of the centennial of the Balfour Declaration."The resolution recognizes the importance of the establishment of the modern State of Israel as a secure and democratic homeland for the Jewish people that upholds full and equal rights for all of its citizens; and supports efforts to continue to increase economic, security and cultural ties between the United States and Israel," reads the text of the document.The resolution was con-sponsored by Steve Russell (R) from Oklahoma, Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R) from Washington and Henry Cuellar (D) from Texas."The House delivered a clarion call of united American support for Israel on this momentous anniversary," said Richard D. Heideman, President of American Zionist Movement, an umbrella organization of 25 national Jewish Zionist groups. “We take great pride that, at the same time as the American Zionist Movement brought together a broad and diverse coalition of Zionist voices in Washington the House of Representatives took decisive and bipartisan action to honor the 100th year anniversary of the Balfour Declaration."The group convened its National Conference in Washington this week.
The Balfour declaration refers to a letter sent by the British foreign secretary Arthur James Balfour to Lord Rothschild on November 2, 1917, that stated that the British government viewed with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, a letter that eventually laid the path to the formation of modern day Israel.