Ron DeSantis’ claims of military aid to Israel are falling apart: 'A gross breach of norms'

Continuing to trail 2024 GOP presidential primary frontrunner Donald Trump by sizable margins in polls, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been trying to show his foreign policy credentials by claiming to help Israel militarily during its war with Hamas. But according to The Guardian's Richard Luscombe, Israeli defense officials are pushing back against his claims.

"The Florida governor and 2024 presidential hopeful declared on Thursday, (October 26) that he had worked with Israel's consul general in Miami to send military equipment, including drones, body armor and helmets," Luscombe explains. "His office, according to Reuters, said it had worked to 'get weapons and ammunition to Israel through private parties' as part of his high-profile 'rescue operation.'"

The reporter continues, "The operation involved sending humanitarian supplies on chartered planes and returning from Israel hundreds of U.S. citizens who wanted to come home following the Hamas attacks. His boast, however, started to unravel when Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, Israel's consul general, told the news agency he had not asked for DeSantis' help, and that the governor's involvement was limited to smoothing paperwork requirements for a previously arranged shipment of 'rifle parts' ordered by his government."

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Elbaz-Starinsky told Reuters, "I am not aware and would find it very, very bizarre to think that somebody is procuring weapons and sending it to Israel. This is not how we work. And certainly not privately funded."

Luscombe notes that DeSantis' critic are accusing him of "acting as if he were president."

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried told the Miami Herald, "President Biden is the commander in chief of our military, not Ron DeSantis. As a Navy veteran, Ron should understand the importance of respecting the chain of command. This is a gross breach of norms and a potential violation of federal laws governing the shipment of weapons."

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Read The Guardian's full article at this link and Reuters' reporting here.