HLS 182ES-20 ORIGINAL
2018 Second Extraordinary Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2
BY REPRESENTATIVES HODGES, ABRAHAM, AMEDEE, BACALA, BAGNERIS,
TERRY BROWN, COX, CREWS, DAVIS, EDMONDS, EMERSON, FALCONER,
FOIL, GLOVER, HAZEL, HOLLIS, HORTON, HUVAL, IVEY, JACKSON,
JAMES, JEFFERSON, JORDAN, MACK, MARCELLE, MCFARLAND, MIGUEZ,
JAY MORRIS, SHADOIN, WHITE, WRIGHT, AND ZERINGUE
COMMENDATIONS: Congratulates Israel on its seventieth anniversary, recognizes its
contributions to humankind, expresses support for its people, and extends best
wishes for a peaceful future
1 A RESOLUTION
2To congratulate Israel on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of its establishment, to
3 recognize the contributions of Israel to humankind, to express support for the people
4 of Israel and for their right to live in freedom and to defend their land and their
5 country, and to extend best wishes to the state of Israel and to the Israeli people for
6 a peaceful and prosperous future.
7 WHEREAS, Israel was historically granted her lands under and through the oldest
8recorded deed, as found in the Old Testament, which is a tome of scripture revered by Jews
9and Christians alike as presenting the acts and words of God; and
10 WHEREAS, the desire of the Jewish people to establish an independent modern state
11of Israel is directly linked to the existence of the historic kingdom of Israel established in the
12land of Israel three thousand years ago, with the city of Jerusalem as its capital both then and
13now; and
14 WHEREAS, for over two thousand years, Jews living in other parts of the world
15maintained a profound spiritual and emotional connection to the land of Israel, and there has
16been continuous Jewish presence in the land comprising the modern state of Israel; and
17 WHEREAS, the internationally recognized legal basis for the establishment of the
18modern state of Israel was a binding resolution under international law that was unanimously
Page 1 of 4 HLS 182ES-20 ORIGINAL
HR NO. 2
1adopted by the League of Nations in 1922 and subsequently affirmed by both houses of the
2United States Congress; and
3 WHEREAS, this binding resolution affirmed the establishment of a national home
4for the Jewish people in the historical region of the land of Israel, including the areas of
5Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem; and
6 WHEREAS, Article 80 of the United Nations charter recognized the continued
7validity of the rights granted to states or peoples that already existed under international
8instruments, and therefore the 1922 League of Nations resolution remains valid, and the
9Jews currently residing in the areas of Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem reside there
10legitimately; and
11 WHEREAS, on May 14, 1948, the people of Israel proclaimed the establishment of
12the sovereign and independent state of Israel, with the goal of re-establishing its God-given
13and legally recognized land as a homeland for the Jewish people; and
14 WHEREAS, the establishment of the modern state of Israel as a homeland for the
15Jewish people followed the destruction of much of the European Jewry during the
16Holocaust; and
17 WHEREAS, the United States government established full diplomatic relations after
18Israel's first election in 1949; and
19 WHEREAS, since its establishment seventy years ago, the modern state of Israel has
20forged a new and dynamic society and created a thriving economic, political, cultural, and
21intellectual life; and
22 WHEREAS, the people of Israel, in the spirit of Israel's Declaration of Independence,
23have established a vibrant, pluralistic, democratic political system, which includes freedom
24of speech, association, and religion, a vigorously free press, free, fair, and open elections,
25the rule of law, a fully independent judiciary, and other democratic principles and practices;
26and
27 WHEREAS, Israel has developed some of the world's leading universities; and
28 WHEREAS, Israel has developed an advanced, entrepreneurial economy, is among
29the world's leaders of the high-tech industry, and is at the forefront of research and
30development in the fields of renewable energy sources and medicine; and
Page 2 of 4 HLS 182ES-20 ORIGINAL
HR NO. 2
1 WHEREAS, Israel regularly sends humanitarian aid, search and rescue teams, mobile
2hospitals, and other emergency supplies to help victims of disasters around the world; and
3 WHEREAS, Israel has taken in millions of Jews from countries throughout the world
4and sought to fully integrate them into Israeli society; and
5 WHEREAS, Israel has established peaceful bilateral relations with Egypt and Jordan
6and has sought to achieve a secure peace with the Palestinians and Israel's other Arab
7neighbors; and
8 WHEREAS, for seven decades, the United States, the state of Louisiana, and Israel
9have maintained a special relationship based on mutually shared democratic and moral
10values, common strategic interests, and bonds of friendship and mutual respect; and
11 WHEREAS, the United States and the state of Louisiana continue to regard Israel as
12a trusted ally and vital strategic partner in the Middle East; and
13 WHEREAS, the American people and the people of Louisiana feel a strong affinity
14for the Israeli people based on common values and shared cultural heritage; and
15 WHEREAS, the state of Louisiana again wishes to re-affirm its desire that the United
16States of America remain a strong and unequivocal supporter of Israel and the right of Israel
17to defend itself in its own country; and
18 WHEREAS, April 18-19, 2018, the fifth day of Iyar, 5778 of the Hebrew calendar,
19marked the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the modern state of Israel in the
20ancestral homeland of the Jewish people.
21 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
22Legislature of Louisiana does hereby congratulate Israel on the occasion of the seventieth
23anniversary of its establishment; does hereby recognize the contributions of Israel to
24humankind; does hereby express support for the people of Israel and for their right to live
25in freedom and to defend their land and their country; and does hereby extend its best wishes
26to the state of Israel and to the Israeli people for a peaceful and prosperous future.
27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution shall be transmitted
28to the Consul General of the State of Israel to the Southwest in Houston, Texas and to the
29Embassy of Israel to the United States in Washington, D.C., and Jerusalem, for transmission
30to the proper authorities in the state of Israel.
Page 3 of 4 HLS 182ES-20 ORIGINAL
HR NO. 2
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 2 Original 2018 Second Extraordinary Session Hodges
Congratulates Israel on the 70th anniversary of its establishment; recognizes the
contributions of Israel to humankind; expresses support for the people of Israel and their
right to live in freedom and to defend their land and country; and extends best wishes to the
state of Israel and the Israeli people for a peaceful and prosperous future.
Page 4 of 4