The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill praising Israel on its 60th anniversary.
The nonbinding resolution introduced this month by U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has as co-sponsors the Democratic and Republican leaderships in the House.
The bill “recognizes the historic significance of the 60th anniversary of the re-establishment of the sovereign and independent State of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people,” reinforcing the trend recently in the Bush administration and Congress to emphasize Israel’s status as a Jewish state.
That trend reflects the Israeli government’s determination to face down Palestinian refugee claims as it heads into final-status peace talks.
The resolution, which is under consideration by the Foreign Affairs Committee, has 122 co-sponsors thus far.
