Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticized the Biden administration for its repeated meddling in internal Israeli policies, saying the U.S. should stay out of the Jewish state’s decisions.
DeSantis stressed that Israel is a sovereign state whose allies should trust her to make responsible choices, with his comments coming after President Joe Biden said he would not invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House “any time soon.” Biden’s remarks were in response to the Israeli debate of whether to reform is Supreme Court. The plan has sparked protests and counter-protests across the country.
The Biden administration should “butt out of Israel’s affairs,” DeSantis said, to cheers from the audience at the conference.
“You’re a smart country. You can figure it out. We shouldn’t butt in to these important issues,” he added.
In 2015, the Obama administration actually funded the opposition to help oust Netanyahu.
DeSantis also acknowledged a disproportionate focus on Israel within international entities, including the United Nations.
“The U.S. must defend Israel against disfavored treatment by the UN and agenda-driven international bodies…and we must reject those who reject Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state,” he said.
DeSantis noted that Israeli control of the capital city means that all Abrahamic faiths are able to access their holy sites.
“With Israeli sovereignty over the city of Jerusalem, people have the ability to visit those sites freely. That would not be true if it were in other hands,” DeSantis said.
At the conference, DeSantis signed a bill that stiffened penalties against antisemitic attacks and hate speech in Florida.
“We are doing what we can do in Florida to enhance the ability to hold people accountable when that really crosses the line into threatening conduct,” he said. “We are fighting back.”
–Wire services