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Senate committee hears mixed testimony on proposal for Texas trade office in Jerusalem
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Summary
Senators heard proponents who argued a Texas trade and investment office in Israel would boost technology, agriculture and defense ties; opponents said trade volumes and values do not justify the measure and raised foreign policy and safety concerns. The resolution was left pending.
The committee heard testimony on SCR 24, a resolution expressing support for a Texas trade and investment office in Jerusalem and for deeper economic ties with Israel and Abraham Accords partners.
Senator Kelly King said Texas businesses and innovation sectors — cybersecurity, energy, ag tech, medical research and space — can benefit from a closer formal state trade presence in Israel. He described past trips to Israeli innovation centers and said a request for standing funding had been submitted to the Senate Finance Committee to stand up a Texas office.
Terry Jurbec (deputy executive director, Office of the Governor’s Economic Development and Tourism) described how the state’s existing Taiwan and Mexico offices operate using contracted local staff, prospect generation, trade‑mission support and joint initiatives with trade organizations. He told the committee that contracted offices serve as active liaisons for Texas companies and can assist with introductions.
Supporters at the public microphone — including Israeli‑American community organizations, business leaders and regional economic development advocates — argued the office would attract investment and expand market opportunities through trilateral relationships tied to the Abraham Accords. “A trade office would facilitate partnership, investment opportunities, and technology exchange,” said Shelly Schwartz of the Israeli American Council.
Opponents raised trade‑volume and values concerns and broader policy objections. Hasib Abdullah, a Texas resident, testified against the resolution and cited U.S. trade data showing Mexico and Canada as Texas’s top partners and placing Israel low among export destinations. He also expressed concerns about values, safety and prioritizing other markets.
Other supporters emphasized that Israel can act as a gateway to new regional markets under the Abraham Accords and that several U.S. states and other countries already operate trade offices there. The chair took testimony and left SCR 24 pending, subject to the call of the chair.
