Both chambers of the California State Legislature this week unanimously passed resolutions honoring the State of Israel on the 70^th anniversary of its founding.

On May 14, the State Senate passed SR 109 with a vote of 37-0. The resolution, which “commends and congratulates the people of Israel for their remarkable achievements,” salutes Israel’s “advanced, entrepreneurial economy” and acknowledges the 2015 Memorandum of Understanding between California and Israel, which has spurred technological and environmental cooperation between the two nations.

In comments on the floor, San Francisco’s Sen. Scott Wiener said, “The State of Israel is not just another country. For my community it is a place where as Jews we are always welcome, we can always go for safety and refuge.”

Said Sen. Bill Monning of Carmel, “The establishment of [Israel] provided refuge for people seeking persecution, a beacon of hope and life and respect for life and human rights.”

Senators noted that the resolution passed the same day as violence broke out at the Gaza-Israel border, which resulted in dozens of Palestinian deaths and multiple injuries.

“Today I’m pained and troubled to see the continued conflict in the region,” Monning added. “It’s incumbent upon all of us in the face of continued violence that we raise a unified voice calling for a recommitment to peace.”

No Senator mentioned that the U.S. Embassy opened in Jerusalem that same day.

Also on May 14, the California State Assembly unanimously passed HR 107, introduced by Glendale Sen. Laura Friedman, which included language similar to the Senate resolution.

Shlomi Kofman, Israel’s San Francisco-based Consul General to the Pacific North West, attended the Senate vote. Said Kofman, “The two resolutions for the 70th anniversary of the state of Israel adopted by the California Senate and Assembly on the same day, with full support of the members, are the perfect example of the strong support of California and American people of the state of Israel. It shows again the strong solid bond between our people. We are grateful to all the members for their support of Israel.”

The state of Israel was created on May 14, 1948.