The House of Representatives on Monday voted to give the Congressional Gold Medal to Israel’s outgoing president, Shimon Peres.

The bill, HR 2939, which was co-sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) and Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA), would confer the medal, one of the highest civilian honors in the United States, on Peres, who has been president since 2007. The language of the bill (which was introduced last year) reads in part:

By presenting the Congressional Gold Medal to Shimon Peres, the first to be awarded to a sitting President of Israel, Congress proclaims its unbreakable bond with Israel and reaffirms its continual support for Israel as we commemorate the 65th anniversary of the independence of Israel and the 90th birthday of Shimon Peres, which are both significant milestones in Israeli history.

The bill’s language recounts Peres’s history, including the journey of his family from Poland to Palestine in 1934, Peres’s long association with Israel starting before the founding of the state, and his service as “head of the Israeli Navy, Minister of Defense, Foreign Minister, Prime Minister, and President.”

A Senate version of the bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), passed by unanimous consent in March.

[Photo: Sultan/thepoliticalforums.com]