Being anti-Israel is anti-Texas, says Gov. Greg Abbott

AUSTIN - Gov. Greg Abbott made a strong statement in support of Israel with his first public bill-signing ceremony Tuesday, putting his name to a measure to prevent state contracts with companies that boycott it.

“You can always count on Texas,” Abbott said at the Jewish Community Center here to sign the bill into law. “Any anti-Israel policy is an anti-Texas policy. Texas is not going to do business with any company that boycotts Israel.”

House Bill 89, which got bipartisan legislative support, would prevent government contracts and restrict specific state investments with companies that boycott Israel.

Joining Abbott were the bill’s author and sponsor, Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, and Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe; along with Sens. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston; Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels; and Don Huffines, R-Dallas.

Abbott has long been an advocate for Israel, a position in line with conservative Republicans and evangelical Christian voters. On Tuesday, he cited Israel’s cultural and economic connections to Texas, and called it an “essential international ally.”

He recalled meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu on a trip last year to Israel, saying the prime minister told him when his son visited Texas, he reported, “Texans are just like us.”

“That’s exactly what my wife and I spoke about when we departed Israel,” Abbott said. ““We said people in Israel are just like Texans.”

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