Abbott visits Israel as part of his 11-day trip
Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday completed an official visit to Israel during which he met with startup entrepreneurs in Tel Aviv and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, seeking to strengthen the economic and cultural ties between the Jewish state and the state of Texas.
“The unwavering bond between Texas and Israel is marked by our shared commitment to freedom and economic opportunity,” Abbott said.
Israel is the first leg of an 11-day trip that was to take Abbott to Switzerland on Saturday for a visit that will include attending the 50th anniversary meeting of the World Economic Forum, an annual gathering of world political, business and cultural leaders at the mountain resort of Davos.
The Israel-Switzerland trip is the second time around for Abbott, who followed the same itinerary in 2016, meeting Netanyahu then and attending the World Economic Forum. This year’s attendees are expected to include President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg and philanthropist George Soros, who Abbott has repeatedly warned is trying to turn Texas blue.
The trip, like Abbott’s other official overseas travel since he became governor in 2015, is paid for by the Texas Economic Development Corp., an independently funded and operated 501(c)(3) nonprofit responsible for marketing and promoting Texas as a business location. Its president and CEO is former Abbott Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Allen.
Allen is among a small entourage of a half-dozen people accompanying Abbott and first lady Cecilia Abbott on the trip.
In 2015, Abbott visited Mexico and Cuba; in 2016, Israel and Switzerland; in 2018 India; and in 2019, Japan and South Korea.
The group departed Texas on Tuesday and will return next Friday.
Economic ties
In 2018, Texas ranked fourth among states with $953.5 million in exports to Israel and third among states with more than $1.5 billion in imports from Israel, according to figures from the governor’s office.
Businesses headquartered in Israel are operating in about 60 locations in the Texas.
Texas touts $649 million in exports to Switzerland and $799 million in imports in 2018.
There are more than 460 locations of businesses with Swiss parent companies operating in Texas.
Abbott participated in a roundtable discussion in Tel Aviv organized by Start-Up Nation Central, an Israeli-based nonprofit connecting Israeli innovators to those needing solutions worldwide.
According to a report in the Jerusalem Post, Start-Up Nation’s executive director, Wendy Singer, briefed Abbott, and among the innovations showcased was Sheba Medical Center’s Accelerate Redesign Collaborate Innovation
Center, which works with more than 50 medical centers worldwide and is seeking partnerships in Texas.
“The technology being developed in the Lone Star State is changing the world in which we live,” Abbott said. “Many businesses and startups that have contributed to this unprecedented success originate from the country of Israel and are pertinent to our continued prosperity. To continue this innovation renaissance, it is important that we attract new investments and cultivate an economic climate that maximizes opportunity for all who call Texas home.”
Western Wall visit
Abbott also met Thursday with Ambassador David Friedman at the U.S. Embassy, which Trump moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a cherished Israeli objective. Friedman accompanied Abbott on a visit to the Western Wall — a retaining wall for the second biblical temple destroyed by the Romans, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem — along with Gilad Katz, Israel’s consul general for six Southwestern states including Texas.
On Friday, the Abbotts visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem and laid a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance to honor the victims of the Holocaust. They also toured the 2,000-year-old Pilgrimage Road excavation site, including the Siloam Pool, where, according to the Gospel of John, Jesus healed a blind man.
The Abbotts also visited the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem, where the governor was honored with the Friends of Zion Award for “courageous support of the state of Israel and the Jewish people.” Previous honorees include Trump and former President George W. Bush.
“Cecilia and I are blessed to return to these important historical sites and pay tribute to those who suffered or lost their lives during the Holocaust,” Abbott said. “The culture of Israel is enriched by its spirit of tradition, history and unwavering courage in the face of tremendous adversity. We must never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust, and the Lone Star State stands with the people of Israel as we continue to fight for human dignity and freedom throughout the world.”