BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - State government agencies in Louisiana are being barred from contracting with companies that boycott Israel.

Gov. John Bel Edwards issued an executive order Tuesday prohibiting such contracts and requiring his administration to put the ban in place quickly. In a statement, the Democratic governor called Israel "America's closest ally in the Middle East and a beacon of democracy in the region."

He describes boycotts of Israel, which are part of a movement protesting Israel's policies toward Palestinians, an "affront" to the U.S. relationship with Israel. On Tuesday, an event at the Governor's Mansion celebrated the 70th anniversary of Israel's creation. 

The House passed a resolution praising the anniversary.

Edwards' office says Louisiana is the 25th state to enact a policy barring state contractors from participating in boycotts against Israel.