Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis made a statement about the Israel-Hamas War on Tuesday (October 10), saying that the state is standing in solidarity with Israel and the wider Jewish community, and it was eliciting both sadness and anger about what happened.
"I think that we need justice and I think that justice needs to be so severe that they wouldn't think of doing this ever, ever again," he said in a speech at The Shul of Bal Harbour, a synagogue at Surfside. "And you can count on us to be a friend and to be an ally of the state of Israel and of the Jewish people."
DeSantis promised he would increase protections near places of worship throughout the state.
"What we witnessed this weekend was one of the worst terrorist attacks in the history of not just Israel but the modern world," he added. "It's important that we say as Americans and as Floridians, we stand with the people of Israel and we stand with the state of Israel in this dark hour."
DeSantis Plans to Place Sanctions on Iran
According to NBC Orlando affiliate WESH, Florida has a large Jewish community and the second-largest Israeli-American community in the country.
This in mind, DeSantis also called for sanctions on Iran during the next legislative session that would block Iranian businesses in Florida. It was alleged that Iran provided Hamas the financial and strategic backing it needed to conduct its raid and Tehran was said to be complicit in the attacks, which they vehemently deny.
"We all know the truth. If Hamas and Hezbollah and any Palestinian Arab simply laid down their arms tomorrow, that would result in peace," DeSantis added "If Israel laid down its arms tomorrow, that would result in the destruction of the Jewish state."
DeSantis also said that Israel does not only have the right to defend itself, but also the duty to do so.with "overwhelming force."
He also urged state legislation to starve out Iranian businesses in the state and would not lift the sanctions until both US President Joe Biden and the US Congress certify that Iran has stopped supporting international terrorism and seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction.
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