Israel may look to Louisiana for help with drilling: report

Israel may be looking for Louisiana companies for help extracting natural gas in the Mediterranean Sea, according to WAFB-TV.

Gov. John Bel Edwards puts with Israel's energy minister Yuval Steinitz in Jerusalem Sunday (Oct. 28) to discuss how Louisiana companies could badist Israel with removing the natural gas. The governor said he wants Israel to be independent, which would make the country less dependent on its neighbors in the Middle East.

"They're looking for experience and expertise, of course, we've been doing that in Louisiana for a long time," Edwards told WAFB in Jerusalem.

John Bel Edwards will go to Israel with Louisiana delegation

Louisiana Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, who is in Israel with the governor, said the meeting with Israeli energy officials is meant to establish a relationship that will hopefully lead to a follow up meeting. Energy executives operating in Israel are also scheduled to meet with the governors of Louisiana Thursday, according to a press release.

"We have some opportunities for Louisiana companies to potentially catch the eye of Israel," Dardenne told WAFB.

The meeting with Israel's energy minister is part of a long-term mission Edwards is taking over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, according to a press release by the governor's staff.

Before the business meetings began, Edwards and his wife, Donna, took in some religious sights and tourist attractions on the trip. The governor and first lady visited Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust remembrance center, and attended mbad at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which Christians recognize as the site of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.

"It is a tremendous opportunity for me and Donna, as practicing Catholic Christians," said Edwards told WAFB.

You can watch WAFB reporting on Edwards' trip to Israel here and here.