(USNewsMag.com) – Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis says the US should reject Palestinian refugees from Gaza resulting from Israel’s response to the coordinated attack by Hamas on October 7.
DeSantis appeared on CBS on Sunday and said that Arab countries should take in the Palestinian refugees. The Florida governor said that although he doesn’t know what President Joe Biden will do, the US should not absorb the refugees.
Many civilians were recently displaced from their homes by Israel’s military siege of Gaza following an attack by Hamas earlier this month. Residents were recently warned by Israel to evacuate to the western part of Gaza before they carried out more airstrikes. As the conflict continues and people try to escape the region, the question of who should shelter the refugees becomes impossible to ignore.
The day before, DeSantis told his audience at a rally in Iowa that the refugees from Gaza are all “antisemitic,” even though they may not all be part of Hamas. DeSantis said none of the refugees “believe in Israel’s right to exist.” He added that although “not everyone’s a member” of the radical terrorist organization, “they elected Hamas,” which teaches Palestinian children “to hate Jews” and “commit terrorist attacks.”
House Republicans just introduced a bill to bar Palestinian refugees from entering the US amid rising concerns that some of them may be sympathetic to Hamas and carry out terrorist attacks on America.
It seems the specter of radical Islam is returning as politicians from both parties find common ground, either in support of Israel or in opposition to the Middle Eastern nation’s heavy military response to Gaza. DeSantis now finds himself in the company of Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who opposed calls from his fellow party members for a cease-fire and supports Israel’s response.
DeSantis responded to his critics, who he said have their heads “in the sand” if they are unwilling “to acknowledge” a rise in antisemitism.
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