,,iv #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #ab ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #c1 #bjai,mr4 ,wilson of ,south ,carolina submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,affirming the historical connection of the ,jewish people to the ancient and sacred city of ,jerusalem and condemning efforts at the ,united ,nations ,educational1 ,scientific1 and ,cultural ,organization 7,,unesco7 to deny ,judaism's millennia-old historical1 religious1 and cultural ties to ,jerusalem4 ,whereas for over #c1jjj years1 ,jerusalem has played a central role in the history and identity of the ,jewish people2 ,whereas ,jerusalem is the location of the holiest site for the ,jewish people1 the ,temple ,mount1 as well as the ,western ,wall1 where ,jews from across the world come to pray2 ,whereas ,jerusalem has been a ,christian pilgrimage site for over #b1jjj years1 and holds considerable religious significance for ,christians2 ,whereas ,jerusalem is home to the third holiest site in ,islam1 and holds considerable religious significance for ,muslims2 ,whereas ,jerusalem serves as a cultural and religious inspiration to billions of people around the world2 ,whereas the ,united ,nations ,educational1 ,scientific1 and ,cultural ,organization 7,,unesco7 has passed a series of anti-,israel resolutions in recent years regarding ,jerusalem1 both at the committee level and by the ,executive ,board1 which is a governing body of ,,unesco2 ,whereas these biased resolutions are attempts to erase or minimize the ,jewish as well as ,christian historical and religious ties to ,jerusalem1 and unjustly single out our close ally ,israel with false accusations and criticism2 ,whereas numerous archaeological excavations1 such as those taking place in the ,city of ,david1 ,israel's most archaeologically excavated site1 have uncovered a myriad of antiquities which scientifically reaffirm ,jerusalem's historical significance to ,judaism as well as ,christianity2 ,whereas the ,city of ,david is the archaeological site of ancient ,jerusalem1 and is believed to be the very site recorded in the ,bible upon which ,king ,david established the capital of ancient ,israel2 ,whereas since #ahfg1 there have been archaeological excavations at the site of the ,city of ,david1 including international delegations of archaeologists from the ,united ,states1 ,england1 ,france1 and ,germany2 ,whereas these excavations have unearthed antiquities from over ten different civilizations1 including ,canaanite1 ,israelite1 ,roman1 ,byzantine1 and ,persian2 ,whereas the current excavations of the ,city of ,david are carried out under the auspices of the ,israel ,antiquities ,authority1 and are held to the highest scientific standards2 ,whereas among the most significant archaeological discoveries unearthed from the ,city of ,david include the ,siloam ,inscription 7#hth century ,b4,c4,e471 which recounts the preparations made by ,king ,hezekiah of ,judah for the impending ,assyrian siege against ,jerusalem1 consistent with the ,biblical account from #b ,kings2 clay seal impressions_/bullae 7#fth century ,b4,c4,e47 bearing the names of two ,judean ,government officials who are mentioned in the very same verse in the ,bible1 ,jeremiah #ch3a2 the ,pool of ,siloam 7#ast century ,b4,c4,e471 which served during the ,second ,temple period as a ritual bath for the hundreds of thousands of ,jewish pilgrims ascending annually to the ,temple1 which stood atop the ,temple ,mount2 and the ,second ,temple ,pilgrimage ,road 7#ast century ,c4,e471 which began at the ,pool of ,siloam and served as the main thoroughfare of ,second ,temple period ,jerusalem that carried hundreds of thousands of people on their annual pilgrimages to the ,temple2 ,whereas the ,pilgrimage ,road located within the ,city of ,david1 which stretches #fjj meters from the ,pool of ,siloam to the footsteps of the ,western ,wall1 will be open to visitors upon completion of the excavation2 ,whereas these discoveries affirm the undeniable truth that the ,city of ,david1 the ,western ,wall1 and the ,temple ,mount are inextricably linked together--physically1 historically1 and symbolically--as the bedrock of the connection between the ,jewish people and ,jerusalem1 and have been for millennia2 and ,whereas1 on ,january #a1 #bjai1 the ,united ,states and ,israel formally withdrew from ,,unesco as a result of the organization's apparent bias against ,israel3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 recognizes and affirms the historical connection of the ,jewish people to the ancient and sacred city of ,jerusalem2 7#b7 recognizes and affirms that the archaeological discoveries from the ,city of ,david1 the site of ancient ,jerusalem1 present undeniable scientific evidence of the millennia-old connection of ,jerusalem to the ,jewish people1 and1 by extension1 to ,christianity2 7#c7 commends the ,government of ,israel for protecting the freedoms of all faiths in ,jerusalem including ,jews1 ,christians1 and ,muslims1 ensuring their access to holy sites so that they may worship freely2 7#d7 condemns any past1 present1 or future efforts at ,,unesco to delegitimize ,israel through attempts to rewrite and deny the history of ,jerusalem2 7#e7 supports the decision by the ,united ,states and ,israel to withdraw from ,,unesco as the result of the organization's efforts to delegitimize the ,jewish ,state2 and 7#f7 encourages the ,united ,states to continue working with allies that are members of ,,unesco to prevent the organization from passing biased and unjust anti-,israel resolutions in the future4