# Hudson Petersen Director of Political Affairs, Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest U.S. (Houston office). Email signature: > Hudson Petersen > Director of Political Affairs > Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest U.S. > 24 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1500 Houston, Texas 77046 > O: 832-301-3505 | M: 512-705-4638 ## The December 2025 Thurston-to-Israel invitation Petersen emailed Sandra Blount (Executive Assistant to Treasurer Thurston) on 7/30/2025 1:06 PM: > Was great speaking to you earlier. On behalf of Consul General of Israel to the Southwest United States Livia Link Raviv, we are extending an invitation (attached) for Treasurer John Thurston to visit Israel in December for an official visit catered to State Treasurers. Additional information on the visit can be found in the attached invitation, which comes from the Consulate, American Israel Friendship League, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Association of State Treasurers. > Ja-Po binder, Petersen to Blount, 7/30/2025 1:06 PM The invitation documents Israeli-government coordination on state-treasurer diplomatic engagement. The four co-extending entities (the Consulate, American Israel Friendship League, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Association of State Treasurers) span Israeli government, US-Israel friendship organization, and US state-treasurers-association coordination. The trip is "catered to State Treasurers" — i.e., a state-treasurers-specific Israel visit. Petersen's role as the Consulate Houston intake for state-treasurer outreach in the Southwest US region is established. Consul General Livia Link Raviv heads the Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest United States; Petersen as Director of Political Affairs handles outreach to state-government officials in the region. The December 2025 invitation parallels other documented Israeli-government engagement with Arkansas state officials: the September 2021 NYC-trip Ambassador Aharoni discussion (Brady-Milligan delegation), the January 2025 Yali Rothenberg "exclusive briefing" with Pulley + Burleson + Huffman (DCI-mediated), and the documented Treasurer interactions with Ambassador Ido Aharoni at SFOF events. ## Cross-references [[treasury-foia-r2-9-23-25]] source page [[sandra-blount]] Executive Assistant to Treasurer Thurston who Petersen contacted [[john-thurston]] Arkansas Treasurer the invitation was extended to [[lawrence-berman]] DCI sales lead operating in parallel-engagement channel with the Israeli Consulate