Tell Your Virginia State Reps: Disband the Virginia Israel Advisory Board!

Slide 1: A Palestinian woman cries and holds her child, who is smeared with dust and debris following a bombing. The caption reads "what does Virginia have to do with the genocide in Palestine? Slide 2: A Palestinian man holds an injured girl. Both are caked in debris and are distressed. The girl has a bandage on her forehead and her left eye is swollen shut from an injury. Along the bottom of the photo is the logo reads "Virginia Israel Advisory Board. Commonwealth of Virginia. Office of the General Assembly." It is next to the seal for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Slide 3: Two Palestinian men escort an injured Palestinian man, whose forehead is injured and covered in blood. One holds him up while holding a towel on his injury while the other leads him by the hand. The caption reads "The Virginia Israel Advisory Board is an Israeli business promotion entity embedded within the Virginia state government and funded by the state's taxpayers."

The Virginia Israel Advisory Board (VIAB) is one of the Commonwealth’s most shocking open secrets. Many state representatives are only vaguely aware of its existence. Over 10 months into a live streamed genocide, and 76 years into a brutal occupation and apartheid, it is time to cut all economic ties to Israel.

The Virginia Israel Advisory Board (VIAB) is an Israel business promotion entity in the United States embedded within the Virginia state government since 1996 and funded by the state’s taxpayers. VIAB funnels millions of dollars toward Israeli businesses and away from Virginia companies.

Unlike other community-specific state advisory boards, VIAB is taxpayer funded. It received $244,872 in fiscal year 2024 alone. VIAB also diverts millions of dollars each year in state, federal and private grants towards Israeli corporations. It collaborates with state-funded entities like colleges and universities in projects designed to benefit Israel, instead of Virginia students, residents, or businesses.

No other country receives Virginia taxpayer funding for business promotion. VIAB pressures state lawmakers and the local business community to develop a long-term stake in Israel, despite Israel’s systemic apartheid, human rights violations in occupied Palestine, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.