Local Politics: Proposed trade partnership with Israel draws criticism 

The State Senate is currently considering a bill to create a formal trade partnership between the state of Ohio and Israel. At the risk of sounding overly opinionated, it’s not really clear why this is a priority right now.

House Bill 188, titled “Create the Ohio Israel Trade and Innovation Partnership,” was first proposed in March of last year. It would create a 17-person committee to “advance innovation, trade, and investment” between the two governments. It was passed by the House in November. 

“In 2023, I was able to visit Israel on a state delegation visit,” Representative Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.), one of the bill’s sponsors, said in a statement when the legislation passed. “During the visit, I met with many different industries, including start-ups and emerging technology. This partnership seeks to bring these businesses to Ohio. I am tired of other states continually landing these businesses when they decide to grow and expand. Ohio will now be able to compete.”

Those businesses will likely focus on “emerging technology,” agriculture, and water supply, which are “considerably important to Ohio families,” Hall said.

The bill is now under review by the Finance committee. Representative Eric Syndenberg (D-Beachwood), the bill’s other sponsor, testified at the first hearing earlier this month. 

“Ohio and Israel already share a strong history,” Syndenberg said. “With this bill, we seek to formalize this partnership, ensuring Ohio remains one of Israel’s top choices to do business.”

Ohio does have existing business relationships with Israel. The Ohio-Israel AG & Cleantech Initiative, focusing on agriculture and water technology, has been running for 22 years. The Department of Development, which provides businesses with “Export Assistance & International Engagement,” lists the country as one of its Middle East markets. And as of 2024, there were six Israeli businesses in the state, one of which is based in Columbus; the Youngstown Business Incubator in Northeast Ohio says it’s working with four more.

But it’s unclear from the text of the bill and official public statements how this trade partnership would actually impact Ohio residents, besides potentially bringing more jobs into the state by attracting Israeli companies. 

Columbus residents are evidently not into it. 

While the bill was under deliberation in the House, committee activity records show that 36 people testified in opposition. One Columbus resident, Jessica Eberly, wrote that she “[did] not understand how our elected officials, who are supposed to be some of the brightest and most equitable among us, would consider passing this piece of legislation.”

“When there are people in our state who suffer from lack of housing, food insecurity, access to appropriate mental health and healthcare services, and poor infrastructure and public transit, supporting HB 188 comes across as tone-deaf and a slap in the face to your hardworking constituents who have chosen Ohio to be their home,” Eberly testified.

Another Columbus resident, Matthew Brown, testified that, “This bill raises serious questions regarding transparency and accountability at a time when we should be putting Ohio first and investing here at home. … HB 188 would take money out of Ohio and funnel it into a partnership with Israel, a risky economic partner and a gamble that we cannot afford.”

One Columbus resident who works in the defense space, who requested to remain anonymous due to the polarizing nature of the topic, told Matter News that they had two main problems with the bill. “State governments are not properly equipped with the intelligence services, diplomatic corps, and tools needed to properly engage with foreign governments on equal footing,” the resident said. “With how much dark money is now in the political fundraising world post-Citizens United, the risks are far too great.” 

Their second problem was that Israel isn’t even in the top 20 destinations for Ohio’s exports. A 2023 trade report lists it in 26th place. “To dedicate state funds to bolster a partnership with such a minor trading partner is a complete misallocation of resources,” the resident said.

In recent discussions of the bill online, Columbus residents are more confused than anything. “What the fuck is our state government doing?!” one person wrote in a Reddit comment last week. “Maybe focus on literally anything that would benefit a single regular person in the state. Instead we are taking away things we voted for and making agreements with war mongers.”

This latter point brings into greater relief Israel’s role in helping to spearhead the current war in Iran — a massively unpopular conflict both globally and inside the United States — as well as the genocide the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government continues to wage in Gaza.

Jawhara Qutiefan, co-president of the Columbus branch of American Muslims for Palestine, testified at the hearing that, “This is not an economic development bill. It is a political partnership designed to mediate Israel’s image at a time when the world is watching its human rights record with grave concern.”

The offices of Columbus City Council and Mayor Andrew Ginther did not respond to requests for comment about the bill, or how they thought it might impact Columbus residents.

The current text of the bill doesn’t list any sort of budget for the 17-person committee that would run the partnership, and nobody on the committee would be paid by the state for their participation in it. But a companion Senate bill introduced last May (which has not moved forward) and a fiscal note by the Ohio Legislative Service Commission list a budget of $5 million from the state’s general revenue fund.