Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) argued Saturday that the U.S. shouldn’t take in Palestinian refugees fleeing from Gaza amid the war between Israel and Hamas militants.
“I don’t know what [President] Biden’s gonna do, but we cannot accept people from Gaza into this country as refugees,” DeSantis, a GOP presidential candidate, said during a campaign stop in Iowa.
“I am not going to do that,” he added. “If you look at how they behave, not all of them are Hamas, but they are all antisemitic. None of them believe in Israel’s right to exist.”
His remarks come as Israel is expected to move forward with a ground offensive on northern Gaza, the area controlled by Hamas. The Israeli military gave Palestinian civilians just over 24 hours to evacuate the area.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation on Hamas after the group launched a surprise invasion and attack last weekend — killing thousands of Israelis and taking more than 100 hostages.
Israel said it will not allow supplies — including food and power — into the territory until the hostages are freed.
DeSantis said other nations in the Middle East should be the ones to provide shelter to displaced Palestinians, not the United States.
“The Arab States should be taking them if you have refugees,” he said in Iowa. “You don’t fly people and import them into the United States of America.”
On Thursday, the Florida governor issued an order authorizing the rescue of Floridians in Israel — and to support ongoing efforts to fight against Hamas.
DeSantis has been an avid supporter of Israel, even sparring with a voter earlier this week about the humanitarian consequences of Israel’s counterattack in the region. During the exchange, the governor suggested Israel gave Gaza citizens ample warning to leave.
“Israel put in a warning: ‘We’re gonna go in this area. Civilians, leave.’ Hamas tells them not to leave,” the presidential hopeful said. “Hamas wants them to be human shields. That’s their tactic, technique and procedure.”
“How many other armed forces give warnings to get out before they go? I think Israel’s probably the only one in the world that does that,” he added.
In response, the unnamed voter said “You had my vote, but you don’t now.”
So far, the Israel-Hamas conflict has cost over 2,000 lives on both sides — including 27 Americans.