Israel welcomes 250 tech leaders from all 50 US states

(Oct. 20, 2026 / JNS)

Israel on Monday hosted 250 entrepreneurs, investors and technology leaders from all 50 U.S. states at the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem.

The Flightech delegation is part of the Foreign Ministry’s “50 States, One Israel” initiative, connecting America’s tech leaders with Israel’s innovation ecosystem to build long-term partnerships, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar posted on X.

He stressed that events such as these strengthen the “steadfast bond” between the nations, based on “shared values and strategic interests, which defends the free world.”

Israel’s top diplomat added, “A strong Israel strengthens America and a strong America strengthens Israel.”

At the event, Sa’ar welcomed the 250 Americans to Israel’s “eternal capital of the Jewish people; the city that King David made his capital more than 3,000 years ago.”

He emphasized that while in the past the Jewish community in the United States may have perceived Israel as a country in need of charity, today Israel has become a “strategic asset for the United States.”

The Jewish state stands on the frontlines against Iran and its proxies throughout the Middle East, as well as other radical Islamic forces, the minister said.

Yet the U.S.-Israeli relationship goes beyond security, he continued.

The economic cooperation creates “growth, technological superiority and opportunities for both nations,” said Sa’ar, adding that Israeli investments and Israeli-founded firms in America have contributed billions of dollars and tens of thousands of American jobs, respectively.

Meanwhile in the diplomatic arena, “Israel is firmly on team USA,” he added.

The Israeli government launched the “50 States, One Israel” initiative in September 2025, welcoming the largest-ever bipartisan delegation of American lawmakers to ever visit the Jewish state.

Two-hundred and fifty U.S. lawmakers went on a tour of areas in southern Israel that were attacked by Hamas and Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, and planted 50 trees in the Negev Desert city of Ofakim—one for each state in America.

The visit, made up primarily of state senators and House representatives, came nearly two years after the surprise cross-border attack.

“You represent the breadth and depth of America’s commitment to Israel not just in the exceptional administration of President [Donald] Trump, but in every state, every city, every community across your great republic,” then-Israeli deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel told the American lawmakers at the time.