DeSantis stokes Jewish-Palestinian division in Florida. It’s dangerous and deplorable | Opinion
It’s what politicians do.
Chaos breaks, and they chime in, state their stance in the glare of cameras, play the role of statesman.
But in the case of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the political ritual extends further. Every occasion, no matter how tragic and complex, is an opportunity to advance his hard-right Republican presidential ambitions.
As DeSantis desperately tries to carve himself a spot in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, he declares Palestinians “all antisemitic” and says the United States shouldn’t take in any of the Palestinians displaced from Gaza.
His lack of thoughtfulness in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel is deplorable.
He fans the flames of division at home, lighting matches in the fresh wound of heartbreak and war. It has been his trademark as Florida’s governor. He exploits outrage, pain and fear to highlight his extremist agenda — and score political points with the Trump base of white-nationalist voters.
Claiming with no evidence that President Biden hasn’t done enough to bring home Americans “stranded” in Israel — when flights arrive in Miami and other cities everyday — DeSantis is organizing chartered flights for Florida Jews. The first landed Sunday in Tampa.
Unlike the Palestinians, Floridians in Israel have access to airports and the world’s airlines to evacuate. The danger is in the flying missiles.
People who want to leave Israel don’t need the governor of Florida chartering a private jet.
The Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza do. But that wouldn’t serve the GOP voter base.
READ MORE: Support Israel with all our hearts, but also make room for Palestinians’ views | Opinion
It’s vintage DeSantis: To better-off whites at war, he’s overly generous. To the poorer people of color also suffering in the midst of war, he shuts the door.
He makes no distinction between Hamas, the terrorists and the Palestinian people fleeing Gaza for their lives. The people being deceived by Hamas into staying in their homes — to be used as human shields and propaganda tools instead of evacuating to safer ground at the border with Egypt — hold no value for DeSantis.
Hate speech always has consequences, but more so, when people are impacted by a defining moment of unspeakable tragedy and grieving.
Some of us can recognize DeSantis’ words for what they are: political opportunism. Others hear him and receive validation for their prejudice and racism. The deranged go further.
An Illinois man did on Saturday. He stabbed a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy, Wadea al-Fayoume, 26 times with a military-style knife and sent his mother to the hospital with a dozen knife wounds. Wadea was killed. His mother is expected to survive. The man was their landlord.
“You Muslims must die,” he is reported to have said during the attack.
As Ahmed Rehah, executive director of the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said of the littke boy: “He paid the price for the atmosphere of hate. He has no clue about these larger issues happening in the world, but he was made to pay for it.”
DeSantis knows this type of violence was predictable, but instead of being measured, he shoots from the hip. Soon after the Hamas attack on Israel, he called for Florida sanctions on Iran, without evidence that Iran financed the attack. Not to mention that the federal government already has sanctions that prevent doing business with Iran.
DeSantis divides, Biden acts
While the people who benefited from free return to Florida may see DeSantis as life-saving, it was only another publicity stunt to score points with Jewish voters who are upset at him for the acts of antisemitism he has tolerated in Florida. Plus, it was a photo-op.
Let’s not forget that, after passing and signing a law forbidding highway demonstrations, he allowed neo-Nazis to demonstrate along one in the Orlando area, failing to condemn their antisemitism until the legacy media he hates so much came down on him. And when he finally did, it was tepidly.
Meanwhile, Biden has meaningfully reiterated his support for Israel and the war on Hamas terrorism.
He has backed words with quick action sending the best U.S. warship to the area and the secretary of State on a seven-country Middle East tour to address the crisis. And Biden is taking the extraordinary risk of traveling to Israel on Wednesday, when Israel Defense Forces are scheduled to invade Gaza.
The potential for loss of innocent Palestinian lives is great, and Biden has expressed his concern for that as well, as is appropriate.
He has shown command and courage — and even Republicans are acknowledging it.
“I want to applaud President Biden for his strong statement in support of Israel,” GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
DeSantis does more harm than good when he criticizes Biden — and not he’s not helping Israel’s cause.
Whether he’s whitewashing Black history or shamelessly showcasing disrespect for Muslims, DeSantis proves his only departure point is political calculation.
He is a man of small ideas who must never be president of a diverse country that, despite its missteps, is still called to be a constructive force for peace in the world.
This story was originally published October 17, 2023 at 3:12 PM.
