Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida and a Republican candidate for the 2024 US presidential elections slammed the Biden administration’s policy in the Middle East on the whole, and towards Israel specifically during an interview with the Israel-based “Israel Hayom” newspaper.
When questioned on his thoughts about Prime Minister Netanyahu still not being invited to the White House, DeSantis said: "I think it's disgraceful. The US-Israel relationship should be ironclad. We have no better ally in the Middle East. And we have such strong cultural and religious ties to the State of Israel, for them to be treating Israel really with the back of their hand. I think it's a mistake, but I think it's part and parcel of how this administration sees the world. I mean, they're more interested in kowtowing to Iran than standing by our allies. And so, you know, my view as president would be we're going to have a really strong US-Israel relationship, and that'll be something that Americans can be proud of."
From Judea and Samaria to Iran:
— ישראל היום (@IsraelHayomHeb) June 22, 2023
An exclusive interview with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, after he formally entered the Republican presidential primary contest last month, to Israel Hayom.@GovRonDeSantis @arik3000 @IsraelHayomEng @CNN @FoxNews @SkyNews @BBCBreaking pic.twitter.com/OQe2KtXvZI
After speaking of the failed “Khamenei-Obama” nuclear deal as he put it, the governor got into his thoughts on Israel’s claim to Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. “Jerusalem is the indivisible, undivided capital of the Jewish people. And so with me, it would be very clear that that's just the way it's going to ride. Now in terms of Judea and Samaria, I've always rejected the idea that it's occupied territory. I mean, these are some of the most historic Jewish lands going all the way back to biblical times. Yes, there was a partition plan with the UN in the 1940s. But the Arabs rejected the Partition Plan. It'd be one thing if they accepted it. Israel was willing to accept, but they rejected it. And then they chose to wage war for many decades.”
DeSantis Staunchly Backs Jewish Claim To Heartland Of Israel: Judea And Samaria https://t.co/uE4P2CL8Mz pic.twitter.com/Qhn2ITrMSr
— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) June 22, 2023
“It's not occupied territory. It is disputed territory, and I think Israel's claim is the most superior in terms of anybody else for it. I was the first major elected official as governor in 2019, to do public events in Judea and Samaria. at Ariel University, and we wanted to break the stigma that somehow this is not appropriate to be doing…”
Correct and excellent https://t.co/9mAwx2eVpc
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 22, 2023
Towards the end of the interview, DeSantis was asked about occasional fringe far-right activists who support him while also waving flags with swastikas on them. DeSantis replied: “That's a farce though you understand they'll wear masks. The media doesn't investigate who these people are. They are trying to manufacture some association with me. I can tell you, if someone honestly carried around a swastika, I'm the last guy they would want to support. I am the most pro-Israel governor in America.”
