2022 Regular Session ENROLLED SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 107 BY SENATOR ROBERT MILLS A RESOLUTION To commend and congratulate the modern state of Israel on the occasion of the seventy-fourth anniversary of its establishment, to recognize the contributions of Israel to humankind, to express support for the people of Israel 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 Holy Bible, 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 more than three thousand years ago, with the city of Jerusalem as its capital both then and now; and WHEREAS, for more than 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 Page 1 of 3 SR NO. 107 ENROLLED WHEREAS, on May 14, 1948, the people of Israel proclaimed the establishment of the sovereign and independent state of Israel with the goal of reestablishing 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-four 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; 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 WHEREAS, Israel has long established peaceful bilateral relations with Egypt and Jordan, and has more recently established peace with Bahrain, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, and Sudan, and is working toward achieving a secure, peaceful relationship with the Palestinian people, and is looking forward to normalizing relations with all other Arab neighbors in pursuit of enduring regional stability and prosperity; 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 Page 2 of 3 SR NO. 107 ENROLLED 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, recently the Jewish communities from across the state of Louisiana have joined together to create the first statewide Jewish coalition and the Louisiana Jewish Coalition celebrates Israel's independence as the home of the Jewish people; and WHEREAS, the state of Louisiana again wishes to reaffirm its desire that the United States of America remains a strong and unequivocal supporter of Israel and the right of Israel to defend itself in its own country; and WHEREAS, May 5, 2022, the fourth day of Iyar, 5782 of the Hebrew calendar, marked the seventy-fourth anniversary of the founding of the modern state of Israel in the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby congratulate Israel on the occasion of the seventy-fourth anniversary of its establishment, recognize the contributions of Israel to humankind, express support for the people of Israel for their right to live in freedom and to defend their land and their country, and 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., for transmission to the proper authorities in the state of Israel. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE Page 3 of 3