Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order Thursday to bring home more than 20,000 Americans stranded in Israel due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas terrorists.
This bold action, particularly focused on rescuing 1,000 Floridians, comes amidst rising criticism against the Biden regime for failing to promptly evacuate American citizens from the war-torn region.
“Today I signed an executive order authorizing rescue operations in Israel to bring Floridians home and transport supplies to our allies. We will not leave our residents behind,” Gov. DeSantis wrote on X.
“To the many Floridians who are stuck in Israel, trying to get home — help is on the way,” he added.
Today I signed an executive order authorizing rescue operations in Israel to bring Floridians home and transport supplies to our allies.
We will not leave our residents behind.
To the many Floridians who are stuck in Israel, trying to get home — help is on the way.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 12, 2023
The detailed executive order cites a multitude of reasons justifying the state-led intervention, particularly emphasizing the lack of timely assistance from the Federal government. Among the most significant justifications are:
- The Iran-backed Hamas terrorists’ coordinated attacks on Israel, which is estimated to have led to the deaths of over 1,200 Israelis and 27 Americans so far.
- The capture of an estimated 150 hostages by Hamas terrorists, among whom are several Americans still unaccounted for.
- Failure of the Biden administration to provide rescue or evacuation plans for stranded Americans.
- A large number of requests for help coming into the Executive Office of the Governor from Floridians who have received no assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Israel.
- A large Jewish population in Florida, many of whom are dual Israeli-American citizens and have relatives and businesses in Israel.
When asked if Florida will charge the stranded Americans for the flights like the Biden regime will, the governor’s office said NO!
Wow! Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, issued an executive order to send airplanes to Israel to rescue the 20,000 Americans who are now stranded amid a war. About 1,000 of them are from Florida, his admin says.
I asked his team if Florida will charge Americans for the… pic.twitter.com/Dgdu88tnvu
— Marina Medvin (@MarinaMedvin) October 12, 2023
The executive order issued by the governor explicitly calls out the Biden regime for its failure to launch any form of rescue or evacuation operations for stranded Americans. It states that Floridians in Israel had reached out to the governor’s office and Florida’s congressional delegation for assistance. This is because they were not receiving timely help from the U.S. Embassy in Israel and saw no evidence of a cohesive rescue strategy from the U.S. Department of State.
As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, the U.S. State Department’s Consular Affairs Crisis Management System (CACMS) has left many American citizens hanging in the wind, demanding them to sign promissory notes as a precondition for any assistance in evacuating from the crisis-hit region.
The Biden regime’s assistance to Americans wishing to depart Israel will come at a financial cost. Specifically, the email states that “departure assistance is provided via a loan from the U.S. government, which requires travelers to sign a promissory note (an agreement to repay) prior to departure.”
The communications manager at the American Accountability Foundation, Yitz Friedman, shared a harrowing tale of his experience while trapped in Israel in an X post.
Friedman brought to light the abysmal failure of the U.S. State Department to aid its citizens in crisis situations.
Friedman and his wife found themselves trapped in Israel after their original flight back to the U.S. was canceled. When they reached out to the U.S. embassy for assistance, Friedman recounts that they were basically told to “pound sand.”
“My wife and I have finally gotten ourselves on the way home to the US from Israel after days of fear and tremendous anxiety. Our original flight was canceled. While Poland, Hungary, Brazil, Romania, and other countries sent planes to bring their citizens home from the war zone, our government told us to fend for ourselves. I literally called our embassy asking for help and was essentially told to pound sand,” Friedman wrote.
