Speaking at the Jerusalem Post Washington Conference on Wednesday, Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott denounced Jew-hatred and urged leaders across the political spectrum to consistently condemn antisemitism and bolster pro-Israel policies on Capitol Hill.
Scott argued that "anti-Israel voice is not the voice of America," referring to the dramatic rise in anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incidents in the U.S. since the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israeli communities.
"The normal person does not believe in hatred," the senator argued. He emphasized that hatred, including antisemitism, should have no place in American society.
"If you are in a leadership position, you must be clear that hatred and antisemitism in any form is wrong, and you must call it out every single time," Scott stated.
He called on Israel's supporters in the U.S. to prioritize preserving bipartisan backing for Israel in Washington.
"Everybody should know their senators and their House members. That matters," he stressed, adding the importance of continuous engagement with lawmakers.
Scott emphasized that Israel remains America's most important ally in the Middle East.
"Israel is our number one ally in the Middle East," the senator assessed, stressing the shared democratic values in both countries.
"They are not asking us to put our men and women at risk. But if we do not fight for freedom and democracy around the world, it will be a very lonely place," Scott warned.
Unlike other U.S. allies like Japan, South Korea, and European nations, Israel has never asked Washington to deploy troops in the Middle East and Jerusalem has always defended itself by itself.
The senator concluded by warning that autocratic regimes in China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and Venezuela "want to destroy our way of life, whether in Israel or in the United States."
Last month, President Donald Trump announced his decision to authorize the sale of advanced fifth generation F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, one of Washington's main allies in the Sunni Arab world.
"I am planning on doing it. They want to buy them, they've been a great ally," Trump told media reporters.
"Yeah, I will say that we will be doing that, we will be selling F-35s," the president confirmed.
Some pundits in Israel and America have raised concerns that the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia could potentially erode Israel's military qualitative edge in the Middle East.
The F-35 fighter jet has played a critical role in Israel's aerial superiority against Iran and other foes across the Middle East.
Even if the Saudis receive the F-35 jets in the near future, it will take time to train Saudi pilots to operate the advanced planes. By contrast, the Israeli Air Force has operated the F-35 fighter jets since 2016 and has in the past two years accumulated invaluable real-time battle experience.
In addition, Israeli F-35 fighter jets are considered more advanced than standard F-35s because the Israeli planes are equipped with cutting-edge Israeli technologies.
Saudi Arabia and Israel currently do not have official diplomatic relations. However, Saudi Arabia reportedly played a central role in greenlighting the historic Abraham Accords in 2020 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.
Saudi Arabia has also signaled willingness to potentially normalize relations with the Jewish state in the future.
Republished with permission from All Israel News.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.