An Israeli diplomat in Miami on Thursday pushed back against an assertion by the administration of Ron DeSantis that the Florida governor had coordinated with his office to facilitate the shipment of ammunition and weapons to Israel.
Earlier on Thursday, a DeSantis spokesperson said the governor's office had contracted cargo planes to send drones, body armor and helmets to Israel and worked to "get weapons and ammunition to Israel through private parties."
There were few details disclosed about the shipments, including where the materials originated, and which third parties Florida worked with.
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"I am not aware and would find it very, very bizarre to think that somebody is procuring weapons and sending it to Israel," Elbaz-Starinsky said. "This is not how we work. And certainly not privately funded."
This is the best summary I could come up with:
WASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - An Israeli diplomat in Miami on Thursday pushed back against an assertion by the administration of Ron DeSantis that the Florida governor had coordinated with his office to facilitate the shipment of ammunition and weapons to Israel.
"At the request of the Israeli Consul General in Miami, cargo planes contracted by Florida were used to transport healthcare and hospital supplies, drones, body armor, and helmets that first responders can use," Jeremy Redfern, the press secretary for DeSantis' gubernatorial office, wrote in a statement to Reuters.
In an interview with Reuters, however, Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, the Israeli consul general in Miami, said his office did not work with the governor to send any weapons or ammunition to Israel through private parties, though he had once been in contact with the governor's office about a plane that was carrying rifle parts.
I couldn't speak with authority today about whether the governor has checked all those boxes or not," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday.
The U.S. Commerce Department, which oversees many of the export controls related to ammunition and military-grade equipment, said it was working with "interagency partners" to expedite applications to send aid to Israel, but that it could not discuss specific transactions.
DeSantis, who is running for the Republican nomination to take on Democratic President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential race, has tried to portray himself as the staunchest Israel ally in the primary field.
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