TO THE HONORABLE DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE, AND TO THE STATE OF ISRAEL, AND TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AND TO THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

WHEREAS, The Legislature and the people of the State of Washington condemn the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel and the increasing incidents of antisemitism around the world; and

WHEREAS, The citizens of the State of Washington have a history of standing against bigotry, oppression, discrimination, and injustice; and

WHEREAS, The State of Washington, the United States, and the nation of Israel have a long history of friendship and are great allies in support of each other's interests; and

WHEREAS, The State of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, is the greatest friend and ally of the United States in the Middle East; and

WHEREAS, America and the State of Israel have much in common in business, governmental, artistic, cultural, and educational interests further strengthening the historic ties between our nation and the State of Israel; and

WHEREAS, The elected representatives of the people of the State of Washington recognize the importance of expressing their unabridged support for the Jewish people and the State of Israel's right to exist and right of self-defense; and

WHEREAS, There are increasing incidents of antisemitism around the world, including across the United States and in Washington indicated in official hate crime statistics; and

WHEREAS, The international boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement is one of the main vehicles for spreading antisemitism and advocating the elimination of the Jewish state; and

WHEREAS, Activities promoting boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel have increased in the State of Washington, primarily on university campuses and in other communities, and contribute to antisemitic and antizionistic propaganda; and

WHEREAS, The dramatic increase in boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign activities on college campuses around the country has resulted in increased animosity and intimidation against Jewish students, negatively impacting student programming related to the State of Israel and politics in the Middle East; and

WHEREAS, Leaders of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement say their goal is to eliminate Israel as the home of the Jewish people; and

WHEREAS, Signs, speeches, and other messaging at anti-Israel rallies have adopted the boycott, divestment, and sanctions slogan, "From the river to the sea Palestine will be free," meaning there would be no Israel between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, that the State of Israel would cease to exist; and

WHEREAS, Washington's elected representatives who defend the inalienable right to free speech understand that the goals and activities of boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaigns are harmful to this nation's relationships with its Jewish citizens and with the Jewish homeland, Israel, and have a deleterious impact on the educational environment; and

WHEREAS, The boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign's call for academic boycotts have been condemned by many educators as a violation of the bedrock principle of academic freedom; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature recognizes the longstanding, vibrant, and mutually beneficial political, economic, and cultural ties between America and Israel, built on a foundation of shared, classical-liberal, representative-democratic, republican values; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature condemns the international boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement and its activities in the United States and the State of Washington for seeking to undermine the Jewish people's right to exist, defend themselves, and determine their own future, which rights they are actively pursuing and accomplishing today in the State of Israel; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature condemns activities that contribute directly or indirectly to the denial, violation, or delegitimization of any person's academic freedom, including, but not limited to, the promotion of academic boycotts by the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement against Israel; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature considers the international boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement and its agenda inherently antithetical and deeply damaging to the causes of peace, justice, equality, democracy, and human rights for all persons in the Middle East; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature rejects the differential treatment of Israel, including the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature stands firmly against any position or movement that promotes or encourages any form of hatred, hostility, prejudice, racism, or intolerance in any way; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature reaffirms its support for the State of Israel, recognizes that the Jewish people are indigenous to the land of Israel, condemns all attacks on the people of Israel, supports Israel's right to engage in lawful acts of self-defense, and opposes all attempts to deny the legitimacy of Israel as a sovereign state;

NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the recipients of this memorial oppose, or continue to oppose, the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement.

BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Donald Trump, President of the United States, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, the President and Secretary of the United States Senate, the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. for transmission to the proper authorities in the State of Israel, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Governor of the State of Washington, and the Secretary of State of the State of Washington.

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