Israel, Jerusalem - Thursday April 27, 2023: In Israel Thursday, Gov. DeSantis met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders as well as delivering a speech at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem commemorating the the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of Israel.
This is the third stop on a four nation tour that the Governor's office has described as an "international trade mission." However, while Florida's business ties, investment opportunities and trade relationships have been on the agenda at each stop, the Governor has frequently expressed his views on U.S. foreign policy.
Its no secret that the Governor is expected to declare he is a candidate for the Republican nomination for president in the coming weeks, and this trip is widely viewed as a chance to give him some international exposure and experience ahead of his announcement.
DeSantis spelled out what sounded like his Middle East policy during his speech at the Museum of Tolerance. He declared his opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran saying, “A nuclear-armed Iran will create an unprecedented threat to the region. Combining radical ideology with atomic bomb, (the Islamic Republic) will pose an existential threat to Israel and a threat to the United States as well."
He went on to say that Israel is the only authority that could protect freedom of worship for all in combustible Jerusalem and he said that moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was the right thing to do.
DeSantis began his four nation trip in Japan on Monday, and then traveled to South Korea. After Israel, he heads to Britain, before returning to Florida.