{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-lankford-supports-presidents-decision-to-recognize-jerusalem-as-israeli-capital", "Senator Lankford Supports Presidents Decision to Recognize Jerusalem as Israeli Capital", "2017-12-06", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "OK", "James Lankford", "L000575", "www.lankford.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.06.17\n\t\t\t Senator Lankford Supports President\u2019s Decision to Recognize Jerusalem as Israeli Capital \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Congress Has Long Supported This Action With Broad Bipartisan Support\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today applauded the President\u2019s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s capital, an action that Congress has supported for decades on a strong bipartisan basis:\r\n\u201cAfter more than two decades of bipartisan requests from Congress, I applaud the President\u2019s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the start of a long process to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. The Government of Israel officially resides in Jerusalem; ignoring the obvious physical location of the Israeli Knesset and the office of the Prime Minister in West Jerusalem does not bring the region closer to peace, it only placates those that want to destabilize the region. Israel is not the problem in the Middle East, it is part of the solution. Nothing about today\u2019s announcement will impact America\u2019s commitment to honor any solution which brings about peace resulting from direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.\u00a0Israel is America's closest friend in the Middle East and she is a solid partner in research, strategic defense, and freedom. We have a unique relationship and a special bond among nations.\u201d\r\nIn 1995, Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 with broad bipartisan support in the Senate by a 93-5 vote and in the House by a 374\u201337 vote.\u00a0This law states that it is US policy that Jerusalem should remain an undivided city, that Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of Israel, and that the US Embassy in Israel should be located in Jerusalem.\u00a0The Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003, which also passed with bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate, urged the President to immediately begin relocating the Embassy to Jerusalem pursuant to the 1995 law.\u00a0Most recently, on June 5 of this year, the Senate passed by a vote of 90-0 a resolution reaffirming the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 and called upon the President to abide by its provisions.\r\nLankford visited Israel in August and March to meet with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other diplomats. On November 2, Lankford introduced a Senate resolution to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, the public statement issued by Great Britain on November 2, 1917, during World War I, announcing support for the establishment of a nation for Jewish people. The resolution passed the House on November 18 and awaits a vote in the Senate.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-lankford-supports-presidents-decision-to-recognize-jerusalem-as-israeli-capital"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8494720570743084, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}