Archives: Washington State Governors Met Israeli Officials In Secret

HardPressed has found that Washington State Governors Gary Locke, Christine Gregoire and Jay Inslee have all had private meetings with Israeli Consul Generals behind closed doors. None of these meetings have been previously reported.

The details of these meetings were found within an ongoing HardPressed search through thousands of file indices at the Washington State Archives. In some cases, native digital files were found and in other cases, HardPressed financed the digitization of paper files to be published for the first time.

In one meeting the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle appeared to act as an agent, brokering a 2006 Israeli meeting with Governor Gregoire. That meeting also included an executive of a 501(c)(3), where Isabel Maxwell served on the board of directors.

Gov. Gary Locke

Less than three months after Israeli forces crushed and killed Olympia peace activist Rachel Corrie with a bulldozer in Gaza, Washington State Governor Gary Locke welcomed Israel’s Consul General Yossi Amrani to his office in Olympia.

Briefing materials for Locke’s June 9, 2003 meeting omit any mention of Corrie, however, identify his official message, that “we value our relationship with the people of Israel.” Locke also presented Amrani with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Woodinville’s Chateau Ste. Michelle winery.

Officially, Amrani wished to give Locke a briefing on “the current Middle East situation.. U.S.-Israel relations…[&] Washington State- Israel opportunities for cooperation.” 

The meeting with Amrani was requested by Chuck Broches, former Director of AIPAC for Washington and Oregon, and then-Executive Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. Broches died in 2018. 

The Seattle Times reported in 2003 that “Broches of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle called [Corrie’s] death a tragedy. But the bulldozing of homes is necessary, he said, to stem the violence that haunts Israelis every day.”

Corrie’s parents Craig and Cindy released a statement at the time, writing that, “Rachel was filled with love and a sense of duty to her fellow man, wherever they lived. And, she gave her life trying to protect those that are unable to protect themselves." 

This year, Cindy Corrie has continued to call on Congress to stop the transfer of Caterpillar bulldozers to Israel.

A contact sheet scan obtained from the Washington State Archives shows that Amrani was joined by Remy Trupin, then identified by the Seattle Times as “a lobbyist for the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.” On paper, Broches was also included as a meeting participant, however HardPressed could not definitively confirm if the photographs show Broches as the fourth meeting participant.

Broches' widow Connie Kanter, Locke and Trupin did not respond to a request for comment.

Amrani now serves as the head of the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s diplomatic division.

Gov. Christine Gregoire

On January 23, 2006, the Israeli flag was flown over the Washington State capitol in Olympia to welcome Israel’s Consul General David Akov for a closed-door meeting with Governor Christine Gregoire.

Documents obtained by HardPressed appear to show that the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle acted as an agent, helping to broker and organize the meeting. 

Former Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle Director of Government Affairs Zach Carstensen wrote to Gregoire in December 2005 that “This letter will confirm your agreement to meet with Israeli Consul General David Akov,” and that “The Consul General will be accompanied by one or more members of the local Jewish community in addition to any personal staff he may bring. As the meeting date approaches, this office will coordinate to provide you with a complete list of attendees. Please feel to contact the undersigned with any questions you may have regarding this event should the need arise.”

The official contact for the government-to-government meeting identified on Governor Gregoire’s briefing materials was “Elle Simon, Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.”

According to photographs, Shuly Galili, then-Executive Director of the  California-Israel Chamber of Commerce; Zvi Alon, then-Chairman of Israel21c; and the same unidentified person who met with Gov. Locke, all joined the meeting with Gregoire.

In 2010, the Jewish Telegraph Agency reported that Israel21c was the “de facto PR firm for Israel.” At the time, the 501(c)(3)’s board of directors included Isabel Maxwell, daughter of Robert Maxwell and sister of Ghislaine Maxwell.

Among other media activities, Israel21c was engaged in promoting Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant awards to Israeli institutions.

The Guardian reported in a 2000 interview with Isabel Maxwell, that she joked about persuading Bill Gates on where to spend his money. “He's got to spend $375m a year to keep his tax free status, why not allow me to help him,” Maxwell told The Guardian.

The Gates Foundation, Gregoire's Challenge Seattle alliance, Carstensen, Alon's Family Foundation, Galili, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle did not respond to a request for comment. HardPressed could not find Isabel Maxwell’s contact information. 

Akov now serves as the Israeli Ambassador to Denmark. 

Gov. Jay Inslee

According to scheduling spreadsheets obtained from the Washington State Archives, Governor Inslee met with Israel’s Consul General Andy David in October 2016. 

Because the records of this meeting are less than ten years old, the Washington State Archives pointed HardPressed to submit a request to the Washington State Patrol (WSP), who employs the Governor’s official photographer. 

In response to a public records request, the WSP wrote to HardPressed that no photographs existed of Inslee’s meeting.

Inslee received requests to meet with Israeli officials in April 2023, December 2022, October 2017,  October 2016, and in January and March of 2016, however the date in October 2016 appears to be the only meeting that materialized.

In a note concerning Inslee’s 2016 schedule, Inslee’s Chief Protocol Officer Schuyler Hoss wrote that “We have had an outstanding relationship with the consulate and embassy. Important economic and trade ties with Israel.”

Inslee did not respond to a request for comment.

Gov. Bob Ferguson

Since his election in 2024, Ferguson is not known to have met with any member of the Israeli government. In response to a public records request, his office declared that no records existed concerning any meeting with Israeli officials in 2025. His press office did not respond to a request for comment asking if any meetings have occurred since.

This reporting takes years to unravel, and there is a lot more to do. If you find value in it, please support HardPressed by subscribing here.