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Perry Preaches Texas Prosperity in Israel

Ben Philpott, KUT News
Perry, seen above on the campaign trail in 2011, was out promoting the business success of Texas in London and Israel this week.

Texas Governor Rick Perry is nearing the end of a 10-day international economic opportunity tour with stops in London and Israel.

Perry took the opportunity to highlight the opening of a  Texas A & M University in Israel and looked to highlight Texas' financial successes, as well as recent resource and energy conservation solutions.“There are a lot of people...who aren’t aware that Texas is the United States’ top exporter for 11 years running. In 2012, Texas conducted nearly $265 billion in global trade," Perry said in a conference call Wednesday morning. "That is $1 billion for every business day in the state.” 

Perry also took the time to introduce Texas A&M University’s Peace Campus in Nazareth alongside Israeli President Shimon Peres.

It's the first branch of an American university to be built in Israel. And, despite Perry's support, A&M still needs to generate private funds to actually build the campus, which will join the Texas A&M - Qatar branch as the second outpost in the Middle East.

Perry also spoke earlier this week at the Water Technology and Environmental Control Exhibition and Conference, where he praised Israel for its conservation efforts.

"87 percent of all the water used in Israel is reused. In the United States, it’s about one percent," Perry said. "They have great technologies that we can take advantage of — that we will have the ability to bring to Texas.” 

The former presidential candidate’s trip concludes Friday and was paid for by his political action committee, Americans for Economic Freedom, and TexasOne, a non-profit marketing firm affiliated with the Office of the Governor.

Carrie Powell is a news intern covering stories for the KUT News blog. Originally hailing from Ohio, Carrie entered the world of public radio through WGTE FM 91 in Toledo. Having recently concluded a year of service with AmeriCorps VISTA, Carrie is interested in news, community, and storytelling.
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