Sen. Scott Says US Should Not Take in Gaza Refugees as Israel–Hamas War Intensifies

Republican presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) speaks during the first debate of the GOP primary season hosted by FOX News at the Fiserv Forum, in Milwaukee, Wis., on Aug. 23, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) has voiced his opposition to the United States taking refugees from Gaza, aligning himself with other 2024 hopefuls such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump.

Addressing an event on Monday co-hosted by The Associated Press and Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, Mr. Scott advocated for the opening of the Egyptian Rafah border crossing to facilitate aid supplies to Gaza, but adamantly rejected the admission of Palestinian refugees into the United States.

In view of the challenges in discerning each and every refugee’s political allegiance, it is wise to say no to Palestinian refugees fleeing Gaza, Mr. Scott explained.

“If I can’t figure that out, as commander in chief, I have a responsibility to take a leap back and say, not on my watch. Our nation is just too important for me to make bad decisions under pressure because I want to be popular. That doesn’t work for me,” Mr. Scott said.

“Not having any of the refugees come into our country is the right decision. And by the way, Iran has lots of room. They have lots of funds, and they have a lot of culpability,” he added.

In a reaffirmation of his staunch support for Israel, the South Carolina senator condemned the recent terrorist attacks by Hamas as unfathomable acts of brutality and endorsed the decision to move U.S warships into the Eastern Mediterranean to support Israel and facilitate the rescue of hostages trapped in Gaza.

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“America should stand shoulder-to-shoulder, back-to-back, with no daylight with Israel,” he said.

Mr. Scott blamed Iran for the fatal Hamas attacks that have claimed more than 1,400 lives, asserting that the Middle Eastern nation finances most of the terrorist organization’s violent endeavors.

Agrees With DeSantis, Criticizes Trump

Mr. Scott’s remarks come after his GOP rival Mr. DeSantis challenged fellow presidential contenders to reject potential refugees from Gaza, citing their alleged widespread anti-Semitism.

“We cannot accept people from Gaza into this country as refugees. I am not going to do that,” Mr. DeSantis told CBS News on Oct. 15. “If you look at how they behave, not all of them are Hamas, but they are all anti-Semitic.”

Mr. DeSantis also said that although not every single one of the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip supports Hamas, they did vote for the terrorist Islamist group to be their leader, so it stands to reason they “should go to Arab countries” and that the United States “should not be absorbing any of those.”

Mr. Scott shared Mr. DeSantis’s sentiment, but didn’t go as far as calling every Gaza refugee anti-Semitic. “I don’t think that they’re all anti-Semitic. I just can’t tell you who’s who,” he said.

Mr. Scott also criticized the leading Republican candidate, President Trump, for his criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over intelligence failures in the aftermath of the attack. He said the former president’s remarks were “not helpful” and “heading in the wrong direction.”

Mr. Scott asserted that Mr. Netanyahu exhibited “moral restraint” by granting over a million residents of Gaza a 24-hour window to evacuate from the north to the south to evade a violent assault as Israel commences ground operations.

Iranian Funding Act

The South Carolina senator has also criticized the Biden administration for the escalating violence in the Middle East.

On Oct. 10 at the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington, Mr. Scott delivered a speech addressing the situation in Israel. He condemned the attack by Hamas, while simultaneously placing blame on President Biden.

“So while Hamas carried out these attacks, Joe Biden has blood on his hands. His weakness invited the attack,” Mr. Scott said. “His cash giveaways to Iran helped fund terrorism. And after the attack, his administration suggested that Israel just stand down.”

On Tuesday, Mr. Scott, along with 22 other Republicans and one independent lawmaker, introduced a bill to permanently refreeze $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue. The bill seeks to stop Iran from accessing the fund in the future, reducing its ability to potentially finance terrorism.

“The Biden administration’s decision to release $6 billion to Iran – the world’s leading state sponsor of terror – was a grave mistake that created a market for American hostages, emboldened our adversaries, and put a credit on the balance sheets of one of Hamas’s biggest backers,” Mr. Scott said in a statement.

Besides impeding Iranian revenue, the bill would instruct Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to examine valuable Iranian assets currently hindered by U.S. sanctions and provide a report to Congress.