The trip comes amid recent violence that left hundreds of Palestinians and a dozen Israelis dead and is unexpected -- it was only announced Tuesday, after Holcomb had already left for Israel.

Experts say the recent violence is rooted in the failure of a two-state compromise between Israel and Palestine.

The protest was organized by the IUPUI and Butler University chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and the Indiana chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. says Gov. Eric Holcomb will lead an "agbiosciences-focused" delegation to Israel May 6-11.