Monday, October 09, 2023
Gov. Abbott spends $4M to secure Jewish schools, synagogues, blocks purchase of Gaza goods
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) took two actions Monday related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, including spending millions to further secure Jewish synagogues and schools and issuing an executive order that prevents state agencies from buying goods produced in the Gaza Strip.
Around 1,400 Israelis and Palestinians are dead two days after Hamas launched an attack that caught Israel's vaunted military and intelligence apparatus completely off guard and led to fierce battles in its streets for the first time in decades. At least nine Americans are among the dead. Israel's military ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip on Monday, halting deliveries of food, water, fuel and supplies to its 2.3 million people as it pounded the Hamas-ruled territory with waves of airstrikes in retaliation for the militants' bloody weekend incursion.
The Texas governor's office offered his support for Israel on Monday saying $4 million was being allocated from the Governor's Public Safety Office to 31 Jewish organizations in Texas for physical security enhancements and other safety improvements.
"Working with local partners across Texas, we are actively increasing security at Jewish and Israel-related locations such as synagogues and schools. In response to these cowardly attacks, we stand united with our Jewish neighbors and we repudiate terrorism and anti-Semitism," Abbott said in a statement.
The governor's office said Abbott directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to "work with local partners and federal intelligence agencies on heightened public safety measures, with an intensified focus by the Joint Terrorism Task Force and Texas Fusion Center to elevate awareness about potential threats by Hamas or Hezbollah organizations against the Jewish community in Texas."
Additionally, Abbott issued an executive order Monday directing all Texas state agencies to refrain from purchasing goods produced in or exported from the Gaza Strip and from any organization or state actor with ties to Hamas.
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