ENROLLED
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
A RESOLUTION
To congratulate Israel on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of its establishment, to
recognize the contributions of Israel to humankind, to express support for the people
of Israel and for their right to live in freedom and to defend their land and their
country, and to extend best wishes to the state of Israel and to the Israeli people for
a peaceful and prosperous future.
WHEREAS, Israel was historically granted her lands under and through the oldest
recorded deed, as found in the Old Testament, which is a tome of scripture revered by Jews
and Christians alike as presenting the acts and words of God; and
WHEREAS, the desire of the Jewish people to establish an independent modern state
of Israel is directly linked to the existence of the historic kingdom of Israel established in the
land of Israel three thousand years ago, with the city of Jerusalem as its capital both then and
now; and
WHEREAS, for over two thousand years, Jews living in other parts of the world
maintained a profound spiritual and emotional connection to the land of Israel, and there has
been continuous Jewish presence in the land comprising the modern state of Israel; and
WHEREAS, the internationally recognized legal basis for the establishment of the
modern state of Israel was a binding resolution under international law that was unanimously
adopted by the League of Nations in 1922 and subsequently affirmed by both houses of the
United States Congress; and
WHEREAS, this binding resolution affirmed the establishment of a national home
for the Jewish people in the historical region of the land of Israel, including the areas of
Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem; and
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WHEREAS, Article 80 of the United Nations charter recognized the continued
validity of the rights granted to states or peoples that already existed under international
instruments, and therefore the 1922 League of Nations resolution remains valid, and the
Jews currently residing in the areas of Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem reside there
legitimately; and
WHEREAS, on May 14, 1948, the people of Israel proclaimed the establishment of
the sovereign and independent state of Israel, with the goal of re-establishing its God-given
and legally recognized land as a homeland for the Jewish people; and
WHEREAS, the establishment of the modern state of Israel as a homeland for the
Jewish people followed the destruction of much of the European Jewry during the
Holocaust; and
WHEREAS, the United States government established full diplomatic relations after
Israel's first election in 1949; and
WHEREAS, since its establishment seventy years ago, the modern state of Israel has
forged a new and dynamic society and created a thriving economic, political, cultural, and
intellectual life; and
WHEREAS, the people of Israel, in the spirit of Israel's Declaration of Independence,
have established a vibrant, pluralistic, democratic political system, which includes freedom
of speech, association, and religion, a vigorously free press, free, fair, and open elections,
the rule of law, a fully independent judiciary, and other democratic principles and practices;
and
WHEREAS, Israel has developed some of the world's leading universities; and
WHEREAS, Israel has developed an advanced, entrepreneurial economy, is among
the world's leaders of the high-tech industry, and is at the forefront of research and
development in the fields of renewable energy sources and medicine; and
WHEREAS, Israel regularly sends humanitarian aid, search and rescue teams, mobile
hospitals, and other emergency supplies to help victims of disasters around the world; and
WHEREAS, Israel has taken in millions of Jews from countries throughout the world
and sought to fully integrate them into Israeli society; and
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WHEREAS, Israel has established peaceful bilateral relations with Egypt and Jordan
and has sought to achieve a secure peace with the Palestinians and Israel's other Arab
neighbors; and
WHEREAS, for seven decades, the United States, the state of Louisiana, and Israel
have maintained a special relationship based on mutually shared democratic and moral
values, common strategic interests, and bonds of friendship and mutual respect; and
WHEREAS, the United States and the state of Louisiana continue to regard Israel as
a trusted ally and vital strategic partner in the Middle East; and
WHEREAS, the American people and the people of Louisiana feel a strong affinity
for the Israeli people based on common values and shared cultural heritage; and
WHEREAS, the state of Louisiana again wishes to re-affirm its desire that the United
States of America remain a strong and unequivocal supporter of Israel and the right of Israel
to defend itself in its own country; and
WHEREAS, April 18-19, 2018, the fifth day of Iyar, 5778 of the Hebrew calendar,
marked the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the modern state of Israel in the
ancestral homeland of the Jewish people.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby congratulate Israel on the occasion of the seventieth
anniversary of its establishment; does hereby recognize the contributions of Israel to
humankind; does hereby express support for the people of Israel and for their right to live
in freedom and to defend their land and their country; and does hereby extend its best wishes
to the state of Israel and to the Israeli people for a peaceful and prosperous future.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution shall be transmitted
to the Consul General of the State of Israel to the Southwest in Houston, Texas and to the
Embassy of Israel to the United States in Washington, D.C., and Jerusalem, for transmission
to the proper authorities in the state of Israel.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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