Little Rock, Arkansas – Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is heading overseas for a weeklong trade mission to Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), aiming to strengthen Arkansas’ global economic relationships and bring new investment opportunities back to the state.
The trip, scheduled from Sunday, August 3 to Saturday, August 9, will include meetings with senior government officials and business leaders in both countries. Governor Sanders said the mission is part of her broader plan to position Arkansas as a competitive player in agriculture, aerospace, and technology.
“Next week I will have a chance to visit Israel, a country that I have long traveled to with my family and where my dad now serves as U.S. Ambassador, to meet with government officials and business leaders and deepen Arkansas’ economic ties,” said Governor Sanders. “Israel is a hub for innovation, especially in agriculture and manufacturing, and as my dad likes to say, is the one place in the world you visit for the first time and it feels like coming home.”
Her visit to Israel will include cultural stops, such as a visit to the Western Wall and Judea and Samaria. But the focus will be on business. The governor plans to host roundtable discussions with Israeli firms in agriculture technology and defense, two areas in which Arkansas is looking to expand. She will also meet with executives from Israeli companies that are already investing in Arkansas, with the goal of encouraging deeper partnerships.
The second half of the trip will take Sanders to the UAE, a country widely recognized for its advancements in technology and global business infrastructure. While there, she is expected to meet with top leaders in both government and industry. A key focus will be promoting Arkansas’ largest export sector — aerospace and defense.
“After Israel, we will meet with top government and business leaders in the UAE, a global leader in technology, to continue our effort to bring more foreign investment and jobs to Arkansas,” said Sanders.
This trade mission follows on the heels of the governor’s international economic outreach earlier this summer. In June, Sanders traveled to Paris and Switzerland for the Paris Air Show, where she met with aerospace and defense companies considering expansion into the U.S. Her discussions during that trip have already paid off. One major success came from her meeting with L3Harris Technologies in France, which soon after announced a $500 million investment in Camden, Arkansas, to build large solid rocket motors. The project is expected to create a significant number of jobs and bolster the state’s defense manufacturing sector.
With this new mission to the Middle East, Sanders is doubling down on the momentum gained this summer. Her administration is actively working to transform Arkansas into a business-friendly state that welcomes international partnerships, especially in fields tied to innovation, national security, and food production.
For Arkansas businesses, the governor’s trip signals strong support for connecting local industries with global opportunities. Whether through aerospace in the UAE or agritech in Israel, the hope is that these visits will result in new investments, job growth, and long-term economic benefits for communities across the Natural State.
