With the Trump administration planning to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a Florida congressman is set to play a major role in the effort.
From his perch as chairman of the U.S. House Oversight Committee’s National Security Subcommittee, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., visited Israel earlier this week, returning on Monday, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leading Israeli officials. During his tour, DeSantis scouted out four sites in Jerusalem where the embassy could be relocated and stopped by the current embassy in Tel Aviv.
On Tuesday, after he had returned to the United States, DeSantis weighed in on his trip.
"The presidential waiver under the Jerusalem Embassy Act expires in a couple of months and I do not believe that President Trump will issue another waiver,” DeSantis said. “Therefore, just as Israelis are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem Day, the law will kick in and require that the American embassy be relocated to Jerusalem. Since both the National Security Subcommittee and the full committee have been active on embassy issues, it was important for me to visit the prospective sites for the new embassy and to review the logistics that such a relocation will entail.
"I am thankful for members of the U.S. State Department for arranging a tour of the sites and for giving the staff and me a thorough briefing,” DeSantis added. “I also appreciated speaking with Prime Minister Netanyahu, members of Knesset, and other Israeli leaders about this pending move and how it will strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship."
This is not a new issue for DeSantis. Earlier this year, the Northeast Florida Republican rounded up more than 100 fellow members of Congress to send a letter to Trump urging him to move the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
DeSantis’ effort won the support of some of the members of the Florida delegation including U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., who chairs the U.S. House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee. Other members of the Florida delegation who signed the letter were Republican U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Carlos Curbelo, Brian Mast and Ted Yoho.
“Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people and the U.S. should maintain its embassy in Israel’s capital city,” DeSantis said in January when he sent the letter to Trump. “For decades, the State Department has indulged the conceit that Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel, even though the Jewish presence in Jerusalem goes back thousands of years. I encourage President Trump to send a message to the world that the United States stands with our friends in Israel by relocating our embassy to Jerusalem.”
DeSantis is not the only Florida Republican pushing the issue. Earlier this year, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., teamed up with former presidential primary rival U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., to bring out the “Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act" which would move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
