Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of the State of Israel Act
This bill states that it is U.S. policy to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel.
The bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should recognize the sovereign status of an undivided Jerusalem as Israel's capital, (2) recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and transferring the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv will signal U.S. commitment to Israel, (3) the President and the Department of State should affirm as a matter of U.S. policy that Jerusalem must remain Israel's undivided capital, (4) the President should implement the provisions of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 and begin the process of relocating the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and (5) U.S. officials should refrain from actions that contradict U.S. law on this subject.
The bill states that any official U.S. government document that lists countries and their capital cities should identify Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
The President shall relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem by January 1, 2019.
The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 is amended to eliminate the President's authority, effective January, 1, 2018, to waive certain funding limitations for State Department acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad until the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened.
[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4718 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4718
To recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to transfer to
Jerusalem the United States Embassy located in Tel Aviv.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 21, 2017
Mr. DeSantis (for himself, Mr. King of Iowa, Mr. Duncan of South
Carolina, Mrs. Hartzler, Mr. Gohmert, Mr. McClintock, Mr. Farenthold,
Mr. Lamborn, Mr. Wenstrup, Mr. Rokita, Mr. Jordan, Mr. Gosar, Mr.
Pittenger, Mr. Jody B. Hice of Georgia, Mrs. Walorski, Ms. McSally, Ms.
Tenney, Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Smith of Nebraska, Mr. Yoho, Mr. Meadows, Mr.
Rothfus, Mr. Messer, Mr. Zeldin, Mr. Harris, Mr. Donovan, Mr. Johnson
of Ohio, Mr. Williams, Mr. Ferguson, and Mrs. Blackburn) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to transfer to
Jerusalem the United States Embassy located in Tel Aviv.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Recognition of Jerusalem as the
Capital of the State of Israel Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) For more than 3,000 years, the Jewish people have
maintained a continuous connection and presence in the land of
Israel and their eternal and indivisible capital city of
Jerusalem.
(2) The State of Israel was established on May 14, 1948, in
the wake of World War II in order to serve as a homeland and
place of refuge for the Jewish people.
(3) From 1948 to 1967, Jerusalem was a divided city and not
all Israeli citizens of all faiths were entitled to visit the
holy sites, and Jews from other countries were restricted in
their access to holy sites in the area controlled by Jordan. In
1967, the city of Jerusalem was reunited during the conflict
known as the Six Day War, and since 1967, Jerusalem has been a
unified city administered by Israel, and persons of all faiths
have been guaranteed full access to the holy sites within the
city.
(4) On July 31, 1988, Jordan relinquished its disputed
sovereignty claims to Judea and Samaria and East Jerusalem, and
therefore sovereign claims to these areas remain ``disputed'',
not ``occupied''.
(5) In 1990, Congress unanimously adopted Senate Concurrent
Resolution 106, which declares that Congress ``strongly
believes that Jerusalem must remain an undivided city in which
the rights of every ethnic religious group are protected''.
(6) In 1995, Congress overwhelmingly approved the Jerusalem
Embassy Act (Public Law 104-45), requiring the establishment of
the United States Embassy in Jerusalem not later than May 31,
1999.
(7) The United States maintains its embassy in the
functioning capital in every country except in the State of
Israel.
(8) Israel has far exceeded the 1907 Hague Regulation as
directed by international law. Israel has taken all measures to
restore and ensure public order and safety in Jerusalem.
(9) Jerusalem has been far safer and more protected under
Israel's administration than under any previous authorities.
(10) Civil life is entirely present in Jerusalem, and all
government institutions and related frameworks are also
present, including the Knesset, the Bank of Israel, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister's and
President's offices, and the Supreme Court.
SEC. 3. RECOGNITION OF JERUSALEM AS THE CAPITAL OF ISRAEL AND
RELOCATION OF THE UNITED STATES EMBASSY FROM TEL AVIV TO
JERUSALEM.
(a) Policy.--It is the policy of the United States to recognize
Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel, both de jure
and de facto.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the United States should recognize the sovereign status
of an undivided Jerusalem as the capital of the State of
Israel;
(2) recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and
transferring the United States Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel
Aviv will send a signal of United States commitment and resolve
to Israel;
(3) the President and the Secretary of State should
publicly affirm as a matter of United States policy that
Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of the State of
Israel;
(4) the President should immediately implement the
provisions of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (Public Law
104-45), as amended by section 4 of this Act, and begin the
process of relocating the United States Embassy in Israel to
Jerusalem; and
(5) United States officials should refrain from any actions
that contradict United States law on this subject.
(c) Identification of Jerusalem on Government Documents.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any official document of
the United States Government which lists countries and their capital
cities shall identify Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
(d) Relocation.--Not later than January 1, 2019, the President
shall relocate the United States Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
SEC. 4. AMENDMENT TO THE JERUSALEM EMBASSY ACT OF 1995.
(a) Repeal.--Subject to subsection (b) of this section, section 7
of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 is repealed.
(b) Effective Date.--The repeal specified in subsection (a) shall
take effect on January 1, 2018.
(c) Redesignation.--At the time of the repeal specified in
subsection (a), section 8 of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 shall be
redesignated as section 7.
SEC. 5. IMPLEMENTATION REPORT.
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of State shall submit to Congress a report that--
(1) details the Department of State's plan to implement
this Act;
(2) includes estimated dates of completion for each phase
of the establishment of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem,
including--
(A) site identification;
(B) land acquisition;
(C) architectural, engineering, and construction
surveys;
(D) site preparation; and
(E) construction; and
(3) includes an estimate of the funding needed to implement
this Act, including all costs associated with establishing the
United States Embassy in Jerusalem.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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