DeSantis to deliver keynote speech at Israel conference

JERUSALEM (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis will travel to Israel to deliver the keynote address at a conference in Jerusalem on April 27.

According to the announcement, DeSantis will speak to around 400 participants at the Jerusalem Post and Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem “Celebrate the Faces of Israel” event.

The governor will discuss the importance of good relations between the U.S. and Israel, “especially in difficult times.”

The event is held to address tensions in Israel, to teach Israel’s history, and to introduce the audience those who embrace “tolerance and acceptance.”

“A few months after my inauguration for my first term as Governor of Florida, I traveled to Israel for a state visit with the largest ever trade delegation from the Sunshine State to the Jewish State,” DeSantis said.”

“Since that time, we have strengthened the relationship between Florida and Israel through increased investment by Israeli companies in our state, fighting the scourge of BDS, and being home to the fastest growing Jewish population in the United States,” he said.

“At a time of unnecessarily strained relations between Jerusalem and Washington, Florida serves as a bridge between the American and Israeli people.”

In 2019, the year DeSantis became governor, he promised to be the “most pro-Israel governor” in the country. He has long stood firm on the notion that the U.S. embassy in Israel ought to be in Jerusalem, not Tel Aviv, which was accomplished under the Trump administration.

He believes the West Bank is “not occupied territory; it is disputed territory.”

“I don’t care what the State Department says, they are not occupied territory, it is disputed territory […] I was such a big advocate when I was a congressmen of relocating America’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” the governor declared to thunderous applause from the audience at the Republican Jewish Coalition Meeting in November 2022.

DeSantis said it’s important to know the “history” of the region.

The Biden Administration reportedly clarified its position on the region, using terminology like “occupation” when describing the situation in the West Bank.

According to the announcement, the museum is going to open for all ages, religions and cultural backgrounds, aiming to “encourage democracy, combat the roots of antisemitism and extremism and promote regional stability, global harmony, human dignity and a love of Israel.”