Herzog and DeSantis
Herzog and DeSantisFrom Twitter

Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Michael Herzog, on Thursday met with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis together with UAE Ambassador to the US, Yousef Al Otaiba.

“We gave an overview of the Abraham Accords and the strategic significance and opportunities that they present to our region, the world and to Florida. We invited him to visit our countries in 2023,” Herzog tweeted.

“I also thanked Governor DeSantis for his strong support of Israel & for the significant steps he has taken to combat antisemitism. We look forward to continuing to work with him to deepen Israel-Florida relations and to connect Florida to the exciting new dynamic in our region,” he added.

DeSantis, who was re-elected as Florida Governor in the recent midterm elections, is widely expected to seek the Republican presidential nomination in the 2024 election, though he has yet to make a formal announcement.

He recently defended the right of Jews to live in their Biblical homeland of Judea and Samaria and reiterated that he does not consider these territories to be "occupied".

“I don't care what the State Department said, they are not occupied territory; it is disputed territory,” DeSantis said during a speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) political conference.

Governor DeSantis boasted that he had received the highest percentage of the Jewish vote of any Republican candidate in Florida history the recent US midterm elections.

A poll released this week found that Republican and Republican-leaning voters favor DeSantis as their presidential candidate.