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Georgia and Israel have had a long-standing relationship that has resulted in cultural and economic benefits to both. In fact, Israel has had a consular presence in Georgia since 1956, and Georgia has enjoyed representation in Israel since 1994. And in 2021, Georgia exported over $280 million worth of goods to Israel and imported nearly $652 million worth of goods to the state. In celebration of this relationship and with the goal of deepening the relationship, a bipartisan group of state legislators in the Georgia-Israel Legislative Caucus recently began an international trip to the State of Israel.

The contingency includes State Representative Mitchell Kaye (R-Marietta), Rep. Debra Bazemore (D-South Fulton), Rep. Micah Gravley (R-Douglasville), Rep. Debbie Buckner (D-Junction City), Rep. Karen Bennett (D-Stone Mountain), Rep. Barry Fleming (R-Harlem), Rep. Darlene Taylor (R-Thomasville) and State Senator Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta). The legislators’ families and other dignitaries are also in attendance. They arrived in Tel Aviv last Monday.

“This trip is about strengthening the deep bonds of friendship and shared values between Georgia and Israel,” said Rep. Kaye. “I am already encouraged by the warm welcome we received upon arriving in Tel Aviv, and I look forward to expanding our understanding of this incredible nation over the next several days.”

The group of legislators began their trip in Tel Aviv with a dinner meeting and briefing by Ruth Lande, a present member of the Knesset, the legislative body of Israel. They also met with Major General (ret.) Alon Levavi to learn more about the Georgia Israel Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) program from the Israeli perspective and visited Israel’s Iron Dome missile shield.

The delegation also met with Bahrain’s first ambassador to Israel, visited with high-ranking officials at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and learned about above-ground farming techniques in the Hevel Habesor region of the northern Negev. They will continue to participate in activities with business, political, military, law enforcement and diplomatic components.

Rep. Gravely has been posting regularly on social media during the trip. On Day 1, he posted: “As the Co-Chair of the Georgia-Israel Caucus, I was honored to present House Resolution 1469 to Deputy Political Counselor Mark Rosenshield, Embassy of the United States of America, Tel Aviv Branch Office in Israel, showing Georgia’s support for Israel’s Consulate General in Atlanta and the 40-plus Israeli Companies that have headquarters in Georgia.”

Additionally, Governor Brian Kemp recently issued a commendation to recognize the legislative trip to Israel. In his commendation, Gov. Kemp highlighted the economic and cultural benefits shared by the Georgia-Israel relationship, and commended the launch of the Georgia-Israel Legislative Caucus, the expansion of direct flights between Atlanta and Tel Aviv starting next year and the GILEE program with Israel.

“We are excited to see this bicameral and bipartisan delegation of Georgia legislators visiting Israel, which is a reflection of the close ties between the state of Georgia and Israel,” said Anat Sultan-Dadon, Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern United States. “With a program including a wide variety of tours, meetings and engagements, we hope that the participants will learn even more about Israel and its politics, security, society, culture, economy and tech scene. There are many opportunities for Georgia and Israel to further partner and collaborate, and this visit will enhance our relations. These opportunities will only grow as Delta Airlines will offer direct flights from Atlanta to Tel Aviv as of March 2023. We hope that this Georgia legislative delegation will be successful in every way and be the first of many similar delegations in the future.”