Israel is the place to be this week for Maryland public officials.
Gov. Martin O?Malley is leading a 32-member trade mission that includes two members of his staff and other state employees.
The Weinberg Foundation with the Baltimore Jewish Council is sponsoring a group of 21 people that includes Comptroller Peter Franchot, House Speaker Michael Busch and their wives, Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld, City Solicitor George Nilson and two more members of O?Malley?s top staff. The groups are operating with different purposes and schedules.
They were together Wednesday night for the annual dinner at the Israel-American Chamber of Commerce at the Tel Aviv home of U.S. Ambassador Richard Jones.
O?Malley spoke, as did Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister and chairman of the Likud party, said O?Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese.
Netanyahu and O?Malley are schedule to meet one-on-one today. O?Malley also met one-on-one with current Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
According to a statement from Olmert?s office, O?Malley briefed him on recent developments in the U.S. presidential election campaign at the prime minister?s request. “Whoever is elected will be a friend of Israel,” Olmert said.
O?Malley?s trip was organized and partially funded by the Maryland Israel Development Center, a group with private and state funding.
Its primary purpose is to attend the annual Israel Biomed Conference and promote Maryland as a center for life sciences at the international event, which attracts 5,000 attendees.
O?Malley is scheduled to speak there today and meet with biomedical firms Maryland is trying to cultivate. On Wednesday morning, O?Malley met with executives of Teva Pharmaceuticals, Israel?s largest bioscience company.
In February, Teva bought CoGenesys in Rockville for $400 million, and Wednesday morning, company officials promised to maintain its operations in Maryland and make it the base for its U.S. business operations.
Making friends for Israel is the reason of the annual trips for public officials organized by the Baltimore Jewish Council, with funding from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. As Baltimore mayor, O?Malley participated in one three years ago.
Also on this year?s BJC trip are O?Malley?s deputy chief of staff, Matthew Gallagher, appointments secretary Jeanne Hickock and former communications director Steven Kearney.
