Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced Thursday that he will travel to Israel later this month on an economic development trip that includes a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Democratic governor said the 24-person delegation will include business leaders and researchers in water management, logistics, higher education and cybersecurity. The delegation is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Oct. 26 and leave Nov. 2, and will visit Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Edwards will meet with Netanyahu and other government leaders in Jerusalem on Oct. 28. The same day, Edwards and his wife, Donna, will attend a memorial ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and Museum.
Edwards called the trip a great opportunity to meet one of the United States' key allies and speak with other officials and business leaders about possible trade prospects.
"I am looking forward to building a framework for Louisiana to connect with Israel in oil and gas exploration and cybersecurity, as well as other fields, and I want to make it possible for Louisiana companies and organizations to follow up on the inroads we make with this trade mission," Edwards said in a statement.
His office highlighted Edwards' position as co-chairman of the National Governors Association's Resource Center for State Cybersecurity, noting that Israel has a high profile in the global cybersecurity industry.
Edwards' office said the group had been invited by Gilad Katz, Israel's consul general to the Southwest United States. In a statement, Katz said he hoped the visit would "be the springboard to new partnerships and collaborations that will have a lasting impact on both Louisiana and Israel."
