In interview with Israel Hayom Editor-in-Chief Boaz Bismuth, Republican Ron DeSantis says his first overseas trip as governor of Florida will be to Israel.
You were one of the first people to push for the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. As governor, how will you advance similar efforts, whether regarding the Golan Heights or issues concerning Israel?
“Well, I want to make sure when we’re doing trading with Israel, I don’t draw any distinctions like the State Department would between an Israeli Jewish community in Tel Aviv or Jewish communities in the Golan Heights or Judea and Samaria, and I view it all as basically the same. There shouldn’t be a distinction. I do think that [President Donald] Trump should recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. When I do travel to Israel, I will make that case and urge him to do it just like I urged him to move the embassy when I was over there in 2017. So, yeah, look, I think when you lead with purpose and conviction like Trump did when he moved the embassy – look, good things happen as a result of that. I think the same [is true] with the Golan Heights. I mean there’s no way that that [territory] should ever be transferred to anybody in Syria, whether it’s [Syrian President Bashar] Assad, whether it’s Hezbollah, you know, ISIS [the Islamic State terrorist group]. I mean it’s a disaster. So it’s very important strategic ground, and we want to make sure that Israel keeps that and that should not be subject to further dispute.”
