On September 25, the Tribal Council of the Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama voted unanimously to express solidarity with Israel as a sovereign Jewish Nation. They also formally recognized that Jerusalem was Israel’s eternal and undivided capital. The vote came as an expression of “covenant and brotherhood out of a shared bond, with both being indigenous peoples who sense a deep calling and divine responsibility to steward sacred lands.

The vote was held intentionally during the holiday of Sukkoth.

Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama Recognizes Israel as a sovereign Jewish Nation and Jerusalem as its Eternal Undivided Capital – https://t.co/L9Of9faEjv @_AITF_ @4IsraelInSight @IsraelAtlanta @AnatSultanDadon pic.twitter.com/KUSzdDTu5T

— AL-Israel Task Force (@_AITF_) October 9, 2021

“In a time when many call for the dividing of Jerusalem with East Jerusalem as the capital of an Arab state, it is very significant that a strong voice and witness recognizing an undivided Jerusalem as the capital of a Jewish state comes from the Cherokee, an indigenous people pre-dating the modern ideological, partisan, and geo-political lines,” the statement read.

Presented from the Tribal Council by Principal Chief Larry Smith and

Deputy Representative of the Red Wind Tribal District, Seth Penn

Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama

Resolution Recognizing Israel as a sovereign Jewish Nation and Jerusalem as the capital of Israel

WHEREAS, throughout history and its entire existence, Jerusalem has only been the capital of the sovereign Jewish Nation of Israel and no other nation; and

WHEREAS, each sovereign nation, under international law, may designate its own capital; and

WHEREAS, Israel throughout its entire existence has declared Jerusalem to be its eternal undivided capital; now therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE TRIBAL COUNCIL OF THE CHEROKEE TRIBE OF NORTHEAST ALABAMA IN UNANIMOUS AGREEMENT, That we do recognize Jerusalem as the eternal undivided capital of the sovereign Jewish Nation of Israel. In addition, we vow our full support in the pursuit of the peace of Jerusalem and the Nation of Israel by which ever means may be necessary.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to all proper government authorities for the recognition of its passing.

Anat Sultan-Dadon, the Consul General of Israel to the Southeast, responded to the resolution with a letter, personally thanking the Tribal Chief, Mr. Larry Smith:

“Like the Cherokee Tribe, the Jewish people have an undeniable and unbreakable bond to our native land. During centuries of dispersion, the Jewish people never severed nor forgot its bond with our historic homeland,” the letter read. “With the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948, Jewish independence lost 2,000 years earlier, was renewed. Jerusalem, which has remained at the heart of the Jewish people for millennia, is and will always be, our capital. Today, just a few generations since its establishment, the State of Israel is flourishing and takes pride in its many accomplishments. With a vibrant, diverse society, Israel is a beacon of democracy, a global leader in technological innovation in a multitude of fields, and continues to promote peace and stability in our region. Israel’s strength, which allows it to prosper, is derived not just from the people in Israel, but also from our friends and allies around the world. Your friendship and support, beautifully expressed through this proclamation from the Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama, are invaluable and greatly appreciated.”  

John Buhler, Co-Chair Alabama-Israel Task Force (AITF), presented a gift to the Cherokee Tribe: a small jar containing dirt from the shore of the Jordan River where the biblical account records Joshua led the children of Israel into the Promised Land after the Exodus. The protocol of the Cherokee Tribe includes expressing honor by sharing a gift. A Native American blanket was presented to Israel by the Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama and was a special gift for Consul General Sultan-Dadon.

The website of the Alabama-Israel Task Force (AITF) noted that in 1943, five years before the modern state of Israel officially became a nation, Alabama became the first and possibly only state in America to officially call for the establishment of the Jewish state and homeland. This was only the first in a long line of actions and resolutions taken by the state to support Israel. In May, when Hamas targeted Israeli cities with over 4,600 rockets, Alabama’s legislature issued a resolution expressing “unwavering solidarity with Israel and emphatically condemned terrorism from Gaza”.