Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) offered a contrast to President Joe Biden during his visit to Israel on Thursday by declining to weigh in on the country’s proposed judicial reforms and the mass protests that put them on hold last month.
Biden maintained he was “very concerned” about the proposed overhaul put forward by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the White House urging Israel to find a compromise. But DeSantis insisted that the United States shouldn’t meddle in Israel’s domestic disputes.
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“We must be a strong ally and not butt into Israel’s internal affairs,” DeSantis said at a “Celebrate the Faces of Israel” event. “It seems to me that it’s healthy to flush this stuff out … You’re a smart country. You’ll figure it out. It shouldn’t be for us to butt into these important issues.”
DeSantis attended the event in Israel Thursday morning as part of a four-country swing overseas, billed as an “international trade mission” on behalf of Enterprise Florida. He is expected to meet with Netanyahu during the trip and has already met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Netanyahu championed judicial reforms that would permit Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, to overturn Supreme Court rulings. The measure sparked weeks of public demonstrations.
In response to the upheaval, Netanyahu postponed the plan until at least the summertime legislative session but has maintained some changes are still needed. The prime minister has downplayed his differences with Biden on the judicial overhaul matter, noting that “friends can have disagreements on occasion.”
DeSantis’s trip was cast as a venture to strengthen ties between Florida and the Jewish state. The governor, who visited Israel in 2019, affirmed his support for the country during the trip and argued that the U.S. must work to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
“We must support Israel’s right to defend itself, and that includes strong military and important intelligence cooperation,” DeSantis declared. “We share that Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons creates a risk in this region. Their apocalyptic ideology combined with the ability to use humanity’s worst weapons represents a threat, an existential threat to the state of Israel.”
The governor revealed that he and his family baptized their three children in the Sea of Galilee.
On his visit, he also signed Florida legislation aimed at combating antisemitism.
Made a secret trip to JERUSALEM (!!!) with @RepMikeCaruso to deliver @GovRonDeSantis HB 269, the strongest antisemitism bill in the United States. To Florida’s Nazi thugs, I have news: attack Jews on their property and you’re going to prison. Never again means never again. pic.twitter.com/FYXNE5c5RU
— Rep. Randy Fine (@VoteRandyFine) April 27, 2023
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Throughout his trip, DeSantis at times diverged from Biden on foreign policy matters, seeking to portray himself as stronger against China. His itinerary includes stops in Japan, South Korea, Israel, and the United Kingdom.
The trip, which has allowed DeSantis to beef up his foreign policy credentials as he mulls a 2024 run for president, began last Saturday. The governor could announce a run by mid-May.
