Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of the State of Israel Act- 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 send a signal of U.S. commitment to Israel; and (3) the Secretary of State should transfer the Embassy to 14 David Flusser Street, Jerusalem, repurpose or sell the Embassy in Tel Aviv, and deposit any sale proceeds in the Asset Management Account of the Department of State.
Amends the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 to repeal, as of January 1, 2014, the President's authority to waive the limitation on the obligation of funds for acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad until the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2846 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2846
To transfer to Jerusalem the United States Embassy located in Tel Aviv.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 26, 2013
Mr. Franks of Arizona (for himself, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Lamborn, Mr.
Vargas, and Mr. Gene Green of Texas) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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) Jerusalem has been the eternal and undivided capital of
the state of Israel for the past 3,000 years.
(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) There has been an uninterrupted Jewish presence in the
city of Jerusalem for 3,000 years and a Jewish majority since
1840. Since 1950, the city of Jerusalem has been the capital of
the State of Israel.
(4) From 1948 to 1967, Jerusalem was a divided city and
Israeli citizens of all faiths were not 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.
(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 Relocation 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) Establishing sovereign claims according to the 1907
Hague Regulations under article 43, requires that ``[t]he
authority of the legitimate power having in fact passed into
the hands of the occupant, the latter shall take all the
measures in his power to restore and ensure, as far as
possible, public order and safety, while respecting, unless
absolutely prevented, the laws in force in the country.''.
(9) 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.
(10) Jerusalem has been far safer and more protected under
Israel's administration than under any previous authorities.
(11) 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.
(12) The United States Government owns property in Tel Aviv
that was acquired for the cost of $1.00 in 1957.
(13) The United States Government has allocated five
properties in Jerusalem, totaling over of 40,000 square feet
and 14 acres of land.
(14) The United States Government's property located at 14
David Flusser Street in Jerusalem presents an ideal location
for the United States Embassy to Israel. The Department of
State completed construction of the property in 2010, and the
six acre site is leased for 75 years.
SEC. 3. 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; and
(3) the Secretary of State should--
(A) transfer the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv,
Israel, to 14 David Flusser Street, Jerusalem, Israel;
and
(B) take such actions as are necessary to either
repurpose or sell at an appropriate market rate the
United States Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, and, if the
Embassy is sold, deposit in the Asset Management
Account of the Department of State the proceeds from
such sale.
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, 2014.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line