The Ohio House of Representatives has introduced a bill that would commit $10 million in taxpayer funds “to create the Ohio Israel Trade and Innovation Partnership.” House Bill 188 (H.B. 188) as introduced would create a “partnership” of 14 members who would seek to advance:

1. Bilateral trade and investment between Ohio and Israel;
2. Policy issues of mutual interest to Ohio and Israel;
3. Business and academic exchanges between Ohio and Israel;
4. Mutual economic support between Ohio and Israel;
5. Mutual investment in the infrastructure of Ohio and Israel;
6. Specific industries, emerging technology opportunities and, innovation clusters that warrant support from Ohio and Israel;
7. Multilateral partnerships between Ohio, Israel, and other nations regarding the industries, emerging technology opportunities, or innovation clusters identified in division 6, such as partnerships between Israel and nations in Africa, Asia, Europe, members of the Gulf cooperation council, and Oceania;
8. Other issues as determined by the partnership.

This partnership would be comprised of three members of the Ohio Senate and three members of the Ohio House of Representatives, two members of each legislative body appointed by the majority party and one by the minority party; these members would need to “have knowledge of, or current or past involvement in, organizations that promote Israeli affairs, or have interest in the well-being of trade relations between Ohio and Israel.” Furthermore, there would be eight members appointed by the governor including:

• One member representing a state institution of higher education
• One member representing the Ohio chamber of commerce or a successor organization
• One member representing the nonprofit corporation Ohio Jewish communities
• One member representing the JobsOhio Corporation
• Two members representing a regional affiliate of JobsOhio Corporation
• And two members, representing Ohio's business community, from a limited list of approved organizations.

The legislators in this partnership would serve terms of two years, or the remainder of their legislative terms, while the governor appointed members would serve terms of four years. Any vacancies would be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. This partnership would hold meetings and hearings at places it chooses throughout the state and would produce a yearly report, including its actions, findings, and recommendations for the state government as it pertains to the numbered topics listed above. This partnership would be funded with $5 million from the General Revenue Fund (GRF) for both fiscal years 2026 and 2027, totalling $10 million of taxpayer funds going to the partnership.

H.B. 188 is being considered in the midst of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, as well as the apartheid in the occupied West Bank, both being perpetuated by the Israeli government. Israel has blocked all aid from coming into Gaza for over 60 days and has recently announced that it plans to seize all of the Gaza strip and occupy it for an unspecified amount of time. Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich even went as far as to say that victory for Israel would consist of "Gaza completely destroyed” and indicated that Israel will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip even if the hostages are returned.

Additionally, Israel has become increasingly unstable financially, largely as a result of the ongoing genocide it is conducting in Palestine, as well as the conflict it has with its other regional neighbors, including Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria. As a result of these conflicts and the subsequent turmoil caused by them, Israel is now faced with a myriad of economic challenges including a sharp increase in its debt burden, driven by ballooning military spending, and a large contraction in its economy, driven by labor shortages, reduced consumer spending, and decreased business investment.

Due to its increasing instability, Israel’s credit rating has been downgraded by both Moody’s and Fitch’s credit rating agencies, and both agencies have also expressed a negative economic outlook for Israel’s future. Financial concerns about Israel’s reliability have also played a role in Franklin, Cuyahoga, and Summit counties opting not to reinvest public funds into Israel bonds. All of this context begs the question: why would the state government seek to use $10 million of taxpayer funds to deepen trade ties with Israel, a country riddled with both ethical and financial concerns?

In the midst of massive proposed cuts to funding for public schools and libraries, state politicians seem to be more than willing to throw millions of dollars towards an unethical, and unreliable business partner. Support for this questionable bill also seemingly bridges the partisan divide, with five Republican representatives and eight Democratic representatives signing on as sponsors.

Given the suite of challenges that Ohioans face, from trying to keep up with cost of living, to dealing with volatile markets in the midst of spurious tariff policies, perhaps it would be better to direct Ohio tax dollars toward supporting local communities, instead of propping up unstable foreign governments. Maybe it would be better to invest in working families, and not foreign public relations campaigns. We all deserve a better use of our tax dollars than this, and we should demand such from our state legislators.