Gov. Ron DeSantis told DailyMail.com that as president he will tear up President Biden’s “appalling” treatment of Israel — and denounced progressive Democrats for trying to scapegoat the world’s only Jewish state.
The 2024 presidential candidate told DailyMail.com during an exclusive interview at the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) summit that if elected president, he will “set aside” Biden’s “appalling treatment of Israel.”
In addition, the governor of Florida would restore a “cast iron relationship” between the United States and Israel. That includes, above all, “getting rid of” Israel’s internal affairs and “defending their right to defend themselves.”
DeSantis would also usher in a “tougher on Iran” administration, which he said would include ending Iran’s Arab “appeasement.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is set to address Congress later this week, but his trip to the Capitol has been engulfed in chaos after far-left progressive Democrats in the “Squad” pledged to boycott the speech.
DeSantis spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com on the sidelines of the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) summit
In addition, progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., went even further, telling pro-Palestinian activists in Chicago on Saturday that “Israel is a racist state.” She was forced to apologize after her remarks sparked backlash from Republicans and Democrats.
“As someone who has been on the streets and participated in many demonstrations, I want you to know that we fought to make clear that Israel is a racist state, that the Palestinian people deserve self-determination and autonomy, that the dream of a two-state solution eludes us, that it doesn’t even feel possible,” she said over the weekend before backing off on her comments.
Her remarks resulted in a rare rebuke from top House Democratic leaders.
“Israel is not a racist state,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark, Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu responded in a joint statement rebuking Jayapal without naming the congressman.
DeSantis told DailyMail.com on Monday that it is “ridiculous” to call Israel racist in response to Jayapal’s comments.
Israel is not racist. How ridiculous. They are the most free and democratic country in the entire Middle East. Arab Israelis have a better standard of living than anywhere else in the Middle East.”
Israel is for this a “beacon of freedom for this world to look upon” despite being “under siege” since 1948.
Despite this, they have “stayed strong and keep moving forward,” which he says is remarkable.
The governor continued, saying that “no one has to like every country’s policies,” and there is often criticism to be had, but the progressive Democrats’ sole focus on using Israel as a “scapegoat” is the main issue.
“If you devote all your intent and energy to focusing on this one small country, the only Jewish state in the world, what does that say about you? Why are you apologizing or not caring about all the other things that are happening in the world? That’s all you care about. I think that’s rooted in anti-Semitism,” DeSantis said.
“I think things like BDS are rooted in anti-Semitism. And so we are not going to allow leftists to scapegoat the only Jewish state in the world,” DeSantis told DailyMail.com.
Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) is an anti-Israel activist movement to boycott goods and products of the Jewish state in which some US companies have participated.
Speaking to the CUFI audience, DeSantis announced that his state of Florida is investigating financial services company Morningstar for anti-Israel bias.
“They’re targeting Israel specifically,” the governor said of Morningstar. “It’s disgraceful.”
The governor received a standing ovation from the CUFI crowd following his remarks, in which he pledged his continued support for Israel and criticized the Biden administration.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis attends a press conference at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, Israel on April 27, 2023
Israeli President Isaac Herzog presents President Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Honor
The governor of Florida also called the relationship between the US and Israel “unique” based on thousands of years of history.
“If you look at Israel, our society really grew out of what happened thousands of years ago in the Holy Land. We are a society based on Judeo-Christian principles,” he told DailyMail.com.
‘First of all, there is a unique bond between our two countries. Second, they are by no means our best security partner in the Middle East.”
DeSantis told DailyMail.com that there are “great opportunities” to reach a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel and “create a really strong opposition in the Middle East to Iran, which is really, really good.”
He also pointed to the “huge economic relationship” between the two countries.
“There is more innovation per capita in Israel than anywhere else in the world,” which he says he “took advantage of” as governor of Florida.