During the latest GOP debate, Governors Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis argued which candidate would give more support to Israel. Desantis pledged to support Israel even if it conducts an ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Haley said she has a record of fighting for Tel Aviv.
Moderator Jake Tapper asked the Florida Governor, “Some Israeli cabinet officials are pushing for the mass removal of Palestinians from Gaza. Governor Haley told CNN last week, she does not support that, do you?”
He responded, “We’ve got to support Israel in word and in deed, in public and in private, and they’ve got to be able to finish the job. I think to be a good ally, you back them in the decisions that they’re making with respect to Gaza.” The Florida Governor added, “But for us to be sitting in Washington second-guessing them, I don’t think that’s the right way.”
When asked for clarity, DeSantis explained further, “As president, I am not going to tell them to do that. I think there’s a lot of issues with that. But if they make the calculation that to avert a second Holocaust, I think some of these Palestinian Arabs, Saudi Arabia should take some. Egypt should take some,” DeSantis said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials have called for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Netanyahu said he was looking for other countries that would “absorb” the Palestinians.
The Florida Governor attempted to contrast himself with the former South Carolina Governor on Israel policy. He said he does not support the creation of a Palestinian state, unlike Haley.
“We also have a disagreement, Gov. Haley and I. When she was at the [UN], she supported the idea of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. The problem with that is the Palestinian Arabs don’t recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.” DeSantis continued, “So doing a two-state solution doesn’t create something that’s going to lead to a lasting peace. It creates a stepping stone for Israel’s destruction. So under no circumstances as president am I going to pressure Israel to risk their security to do a so-called two-state solution.”
When asked about Israel, Haley endorsed Israel’s current policies. “Right now we have to make sure that Israel has the support that it needs.” She explained, “There should be three things. Give Israel whatever it wants to get the job done. Two, eliminate Hamas once and for all. And three, do whatever it takes to bring the hostages home.”
Haley said she fought for Israel every day when she was the US Ambassador to the UN. She attacked DeSantis for his relationship with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). “It’s really rich that Ron is going to act like he suddenly cares for Israel when he brought [Massie] to Iowa,” she said. “That’s the most anti-Israel Republican in the state, the person that went and voted against Israel’s right to exist in Congress, the person that voted with the squad against antisemitism on college campuses.”
Massive has voted against providing additional military funding for Tel Aviv and opposed laws restricting Americans’ First Amendment rights. The Congressman also criticized Republicans who prioritize Israel over the US.
During the debate, Haley explained in her worldview, “First of all, we need to understand that the reason we need to support Israel is Israel’s a bright spot in a tough neighborhood. They’re the tip of the spear when it comes to defeating terrorism. It has never been that Israel needs America, it has always been that America needs Israel.”
Several Israeli and international human rights groups have concluded Israel is an apartheid state. The Israelis subject millions of Palestinians to a brutal military occupation. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called the Palestinians that live in Gaza “animals.”
DeSantis also attacked President Biden, claiming the White House had not done enough to support Israel. “So we’ve got to support Israel, in word and in deed, in public and in private. And they need to be able to finish the job. Joe Biden is knee capping them. He’ll say one thing, then he goes, and his base doesn’t like Israel, so he’s got to do all these other things.” He argued, “This is a time to recognize that they suffered the most murder of Jews since the Holocaust. Hamas wants a second Holocaust. They want to annihilate the state of Israel.”
The Biden administration has placed some pressure on Israel to scale back operations in Gaza and release tax money to the Palestinian Authority. However, Tel Aviv has publicly snubbed Washington’s requests. Even with Israeli noncompliance, Biden has remained steadfast in providing Israel with all the support it needs to continue military operations in the besieged Gaza Strip.
