Texas’ strong ties with Israel on display at Texas Association of Business conference

December 19, 2023

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Texas’ strong ties with Israel were on display at the recent Texas Association of Business Policy Conference, where Dr. Miriam Adelson and Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum expressed their thanks for the state’s solidarity with Israel.

In her address, Adelson, a physician, business leader, and philanthropist, focused not only on the difficult circumstances that the citizens of Israel are currently facing in the war with Hamas, but also how Israel’s relationship with Texas and the rest of the U.S. offers a path to growth and security.

“Look closer, and you’ll find that Israelis and Texans have a deep affinity,” she said. “It runs deeper than business, though commercial ties between Texas and Israel are truly booming. And it even runs deeper than basketball, though my family are huge fans of the Dallas Mavericks. It is a matter of shared spirit.”

Adelson is buying a majority stake in the NBA’s Mavericks.

The economic collaboration between Texas and Israel has flourished. Texas, home to the world’s 8th-largest economy, and Israel, a global pioneer in the tech industry, have formed a partnership that holds the potential for success and prosperity for both regions. Firms in cyber security, robotics, and energy are doing business in Texas and Israel, and the Texas Economic Development Corp. estimates that direct investment in Texas by 19 Israeli firms has led to the creation of more than 1,600 jobs.

Israeli aerospace and defense company Elbit Systems has a significant presence in Texas. An Elbit U.S. subsidiary last month won a large contract with the Department of Defense that could reach as much as $500 million to supply night vision goggles to the U.S. Marine Corps.

“This is a critical time for Israel,” Adelson said. “The support must be loud and clear, and nowhere has it been more so than right here in Texas. From the top office of my dear friend, Governor Abbott, and all the way down to ordinary churchgoers…Texans have turned out for Israel.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott traveled to Israel in 2020 to tout the economic cooperation between the state and Israel and to reiterate Texas’ support for Israel.

“The unwavering bond between Texas and Israel is marked by our shared commitment to freedom and economic opportunity,” he said then. That unwavering bond was underscored when Abbott again traveled to Israel soon after the October 7 attacks.

“Unfortunately, never has freedom in Israel been more threatened than it is right now — and the people of Israel are vigorously fighting to defend it,” Abbott said in a statement. “Texas stands ready to offer our complete and total support to Israel in their fight against brutal terrorist organizations like Hamas.”

Following the attacks, Abbott issued an Executive Order directing all Texas state agencies to refrain from purchasing goods produced in or exported from the Gaza Strip and from any organization or state actor with ties to Hamas.

Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum spoke of a three-part relationship between the U.S., Israel, and other Middle Eastern nations striving for peace. She emphasized that Texas is the leading light of this relationship in the U.S.

Previewing her trip to Texas in a column in The Jerusalem Post, Hassan-Nahoum wrote, “When CEO Glenn Hamer of the Texas Business Association, the official state Chamber of Commerce of Texas, invited me to keynote their annual conference, I felt it was important to attend, in part to reciprocate the strong support and solidarity the Lone Star state has shown Israel.”

She also pointed out that Texas has a strong law opposing any efforts by entities doing business with the state that would boycott, divest, or sanction Israel, and she praised the recent purchase by Texas of $65 million of Israeli bonds, and a resolution condemning the October 7 attacks that unanimously passed the state Senate.

“I come to this conference, first and foremost, to give Texas and the leadership of Texas our deep, deep gratitude for standing with Israel at a most horrible moment and our hour of need,” she said.

“TAB was honored to welcome Dr. Adelson and Deputy Mayor Hassan-Nahoum to Texas to discuss our support for one another,” TAB President and CEO Glenn Hamer said. “It’s a relationship that goes beyond mere geopolitical alliances; it’s a connection rooted in shared values, resilience, and a mutual commitment to freedom and prosperity

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