Danny McAuliffe
Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is requesting Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The proposition comes one week after DeSantis threatened sanctions against Airbnb over its decision to not list vacation-rental properties in the West Bank, which Airbnb has said affects less than 1 percent of listings in the region and less than 0.2 percent of revenue.
It also follows DeSantis’ recent appointment of Jewish Supreme Court Justice Robert Luck.
Patronis, a Republican, released a drafted resolution on Tuesday night. It’s already slated for consideration Jan. 29, the date of the next Cabinet meeting.
The document recounts the Sunshine State’s relationship with Israel and “proclaims” Jerusalem the capital of the foreign country.
“I look forward to standing firm with our ally and friend,” Patronis wrote in an accompanying letter to DeSantis, Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody and Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.
Among the events timestamped in Patronis’ resolution: The 1987 creation of the Florida-Israel Cooperative Venture; a 2013 memorandum of understanding between the state and Israel about space-related product development and research; a 2016 anti-BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement) law; and a 2017 pledge to increase Florida’s holdings of Israeli bonds.
President Donald Trump, Patronis noted in his letter, recognized Jerusalem as the Israeli capital in December 2017.
“Now, just a year later, I propose Florida does the same,” Patronis wrote.
Last year, the Florida House adopted a resolution supporting recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
