Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed legislation in Florida on Tuesday that he says will strengthen sanctions on Iran in light of the recent attack by Hamas on Israel and had sharp criticism for President Biden over his administration’s appeasement of Iran ahead of the attack.
“I was sad to see the response from the administration be, at some rate, just absolutely you just throw your hands up and you wonder what’s going on,” DeSantis said during a Tuesday event unveiling more Iran sanctions in Florida.
“They have, immediately after the attack, they had to delete a tweet from one of the State Department bureaus that said there should be no response and then Blinken sent out a tweet calling for a cease-fire.“
DeSantis was referring to a deleted post from Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling for “cease-fire” that caused an uproar online.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (WTVT)
“The Biden administration made a decision to loosen sanctions on Iran that caused a lot more oil money to go filling the coffers of the ayatollah and the regime,” DeSantis said about the Biden administration’s recent move to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets in exchange for American prisoners.
“If Hamas and Hezbollah and any Palestinian Arab simply lay down their arms tomorrow, that would result in peace,” DeSantis continued. “If Israel laid down its arms tomorrow, that would result in the destruction of the Jewish state. We know that. And so for having the administration do anything other than a unified voice saying that Israel should be able to defend itself and that we support, that was honestly not surprising.”
“But it’s still very, very disappointing. Now’s the time for leadership. Now’s the time for the president to be out there to be talking about how important it is that we’re unified in the fight against terrorism. They should be talking about how it’s wrong to support policies that enrich the Iranian regime.”
DeSantis added that Israel not only has the “right” to defend itself but the “duty” to defend itself and ensure that Hamas is “eradicated from the earth.”
“What we witnessed this weekend was one of the worst terrorist attacks in the history of not just Israel, but in the modern world,” DeSantis said on Tuesday. “You have barbarians from Hamas funded by the Iranian regime, murdering elderly, children, raping women, doing things that are really indescribable. 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.’”
“We should have no tax dollars going to the Iranian regime in the form of ransom payments, whether they’re airlifting cash like they did under Obama,” DeSantis added. “Never, ever should your tax dollars go to that despicable, evil regime. We also should not be sending tax dollars to Gaza.”
President Biden and former President Barack Obama (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque TPX Images of the Day)
“Who?” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said, responding to a request for comment from Fox News Digital about Desantis’ comments.
“The governor is wrong and it’s an irresponsible claim to make. Not a single sanction has been lifted on the Iranian regime,” a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The United States has taken actions to hold Iran accountable – imposed sanctions on Iran for its support for Hamas and other terrorist organizations. We will continue to take actions to hold Iran accountable for its support for terrorism as well as continue our support to Israel in its fight against Hamas.”
The spokesperson added, in reference to the tweets, that “the tweet didn’t match the actual language of the call readout with his Turkish counterpart.”
“It was quickly deleted because it did not reflect our policy,” the spokesperson said. “The tweet from the Palestinian Affairs Unit was not approved and also does not represent U.S. policy. The United States condemns the terrorist attack against Israel and unequivocally supports Israel’s right to defend itself, as the president and secretary have both made clear.”
DeSantis said his proposals will strengthen the “iron clad” relationship between Florida and Israel by reinforcing Florida’s commitment to not do business with state sponsors of terrorism such as Iran.
The legislation, according to a press release, “expands prohibition on state investment in Iranian businesses to include the financial, construction, manufacturing, textile, technology, mining, metals, shipping, shipbuilding and port sectors.”
Additionally, the legislation “prohibits state and local governments from contracting with companies on the expanded sectors list.”
In order for any sanctions to be lifted, the legislation requires that both the president and Congress certify Iran has stopped supporting international terrorism and also requires that all U.S. sanctions are first lifted.
Cars are on fire after they were hit by rockets from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
“We did the first trade mission of my administration in 2019,” DeSantis said. “It was the biggest trade mission in Florida history to Israel. We ended up developing great economic ties. We furthered academic ties, cultural ties, and it was a great experience for many people who went on that trip, who had never been to Israel before and we’ve made sure to build off that commitment during the time I’ve been governor.”
DeSantis also said he has instructed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to “collaborate” with Attorney General Ashley Moody to “send a memo to law enforcement agencies across the state reminding them of Florida’s laws that protect our Jewish community.”
“It’s reminding all law enforcement and prosecutors that any action that harbors terrorists are not lawful in the state of Florida and that includes fundraising for Hamas or other terrorist groups. If you’re doing that in Florida, you’re going to be held accountable.”
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to members of the media after an event on July 27, 2023. (Sergio Flores for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
DeSantis touted steps he has taken since becoming governor to strengthen support of Israel, including “fighting back against the BDS movement” by prohibiting Florida from investing in companies that discriminate against Israel and enacting legislation to combat antisemitism.
DeSantis has long been a staunch supporter of Israel, dating back to his time in Congress when he introduced a bill to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
“This is from almost a decade ago but the point is more relevant today: Israel must destroy Hamas and its terrorist infrastructure,” the DeSantis presidential campaign posted on social media Sunday along with a clip of then-Congressman DeSantis railing against Hamas on the House floor.
“Half-measures will just guarantee more attacks in the future.”
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The fighting continues against Hamas terrorists based in the Gaza Strip who launched a surprise attack on Saturday, killing more than 900 Israelis. More than 2,700 have been injured since Saturday.
Israel’s military laid siege to Gaza, pummeling the densely populated area with fierce airstrikes to eradicate Hamas forces.
Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report
