WASHINGTON—In an interview for The Floridian, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) spoke on his support for the State of Israel and lambasted antisemitic comments made by Democrats about the Jewish State.
Sen. Scott spoke about his recent trip to Israel and described how he arrived in Israel the same night Israeli Defense Forces fought Jenin terrorists backed by Iran. In the context of the Middle East, Sen. Scott called Iran "everybody's problem."
"So, everybody's problem. Everybody is concerned about Iran. They cannot get the [nuclear] weapon, because if they do, not only will they annihilate Israel, but they will dominate the Middle East," said Scott.
We asked if he would support Israel launching a preemptive strike if Iran threatened to nuke them, which Scott said he would because "The Ayatollah has said he will extinguish the Jews."
"Yeah, they have got to defend the country. The Ayatollah has said that he will extinguish the Jews, so you have a choice. I mean, if the Prime Minister and leadership in Israel care about their citizens, they have to defend themselves. When somebody tells you they are going to kill you, are you going to do something about it? Yeah. If you do not, you are not saving the country," Scott continued.
From there, the conversation shifted toward anti-Israel comments made by Congressional Democrats. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) recently called Israel "a racist state" at a Chicago conference, and Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) have also called Israel "apartheid."
Scott countered their accusations by pointing out that the Hamas-controlled Palestinian government has not held an election since 1984. Israel, by contrast, is a "thriving democracy" where Christians, Jews, and Muslims can freely practice their respective religions.
"It is a complete lie. The Democrats ought to call anybody out in the Democratic Caucus that says these things about Israel. Israel has the right to exist, they are a thriving democracy, where you can practice any religion you want," Scott stated.
Finally, we asked how these comments from Democratic lawmakers make the United States look to the rest of the world. Scott answered that as much as he disagreed with their statements, calling them "disgusting," he nonetheless respects their free speech rights.
"I completely disagree and I think they are wrong, I think it is disgusting what they said. But in America, we actually do have the right to say what we believe. They are just completely wrong in what they are saying," Scott concluded.
