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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Lone Star State has always been a steadfast |
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supporter of the historic alliance between the United States and |
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the democratic nation of Israel; and |
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WHEREAS, In early May 2021, long-standing tensions in |
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Jerusalem boiled over, and clashes broke out at the Al-Aqsa Mosque |
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compound between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters; the |
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mayhem quickly escalated into the worst spate of violence in the |
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city since 2014, when the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli |
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teenagers by Hamas members led to a seven-week conflict and scores |
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of deaths in Israel; and |
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WHEREAS, Hamas, an Islamist militant group sworn to Israel's |
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destruction and designated as a terrorist group, began firing |
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long-range rockets from Gaza toward Jerusalem on May 10, 2021; |
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Israel responded by bombing targets in Gaza, and because Hamas |
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employs civilians as human shields, more than 200 Palestinian lives |
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were lost; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the course of 11 days, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, |
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and other militant groups launched more than 4,000 rockets at |
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Israel, killing 12 people, mostly civilians; Hamas fired at |
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nonmilitary targets, and the death toll would doubtless have been |
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much higher, but for the Iron Dome, Israel's short-range air |
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defense system, a tactical and technological marvel that has |
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received substantial support from the United States; and |
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WHEREAS, A cease-fire mediated by Egypt began at 7 p.m. EST |
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May 20, 2021, but the history of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities is |
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littered with agreements that have yet to resolve underlying |
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disputes; and |
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WHEREAS, Deeply committed to the preservation of democracies |
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around the world, Texas has ever been a staunch ally of Israel and |
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an opponent of its enemies and of terrorism; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 87th Texas Legislature |
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hereby express support for the democratic nation of Israel and its |
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right to defend itself and condemn the provocative attacks against |
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Israel by Palestinian militants. |