Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as “foreign terrorist organizations” on Monday.
The order instructs state agencies to deny public contracts, employment, or state funds to the groups or their affiliates, a sweeping prohibition that takes effect immediately.
This move, coming just weeks after a similar designation in Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott, represents a turning point in how parts of the United States are confronting Islamist extremism. For Israel, which for decades has borne the consequences of terrorism tied to the Brotherhood’s offshoots, this is a welcome, overdue step that carries broader significance.
Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has grown into a transnational Islamist network whose branches and affiliated movements span many countries. Some offshoots have engaged in violence, and several, such as Hamas, are already designated as terrorist organizations by Israel, the US, and other countries.
The broad designation of the Brotherhood itself represents a deeper awareness that it is not simply a benign social-religious movement but, in some cases, has served as a kernel of ideological subversion and political Islamism.
That elements of the US are now taking this seriously reflects both the changed global context, especially post-October 7, and the accumulation of evidence connecting Brotherhood-linked institutions and influence to extremist financing, radicalization, and terror.
The fact that it took US states until 2025 to act is a sign of how political sensitivities around civil rights, religious freedoms, and the US’s multicultural identity delayed what should have been obvious decades ago.
For Israel, Florida’s designation is more than symbolic. It reinforces a long-held Israeli view that Islamist networks underlying organizations like Hamas are not local anomalies but part of a broader, transnational ideology and infrastructure. The move underlines that even organizations that portray themselves as civil-rights advocates or moderates are part of the same ecosystem.
Israel must reconsider Muslim Brotherhood's legality on its soil
This could strengthen the moral and strategic case for Israel and for Israelis calling for the Muslim Brotherhood to be outlawed here. If a major US state deems it a terrorist organization, why should Israel continue to tolerate its presence or the presence of its affiliates domestically?
On a regional level, the designation may ripple outward. Several Middle Eastern states have long proscribed the Brotherhood; US recognition, even at a state level, could encourage allies to deepen their crackdown on Brotherhood infrastructure. Declaring the organization “terror-linked” removes a layer of legitimacy that Islamist groups often exploit to mask radicalization, financing, and recruitment.
If the Brotherhood loses its cloak of legitimacy internationally, its ability to function as a transnational network, mobilizing resources, coordinating ideology, and fostering recruitment, will suffer a serious blow.
Florida’s decision deserves praise, not only from Israel’s government and citizens but from all democracies that value security, stability, and the rule of law. The designation is not a magic wand; it will not dismantle the Brotherhood’s global networks overnight, nor will it necessarily eliminate every offshoot. But it sends a signal: Western democracies are beginning to treat political-Islamist extremism as more than a regional nuisance but as a systemic threat to democracy and regional stability.
For Israel, which has already suffered the tragic consequences of extremist violence rooted in Islamist networks, this is a vindication of long-standing concerns and a moment to reflect. Perhaps now is the time to finish what America has begun: to draw a firm red line.
Israeli policymakers should consider re-examining whether the Muslim Brotherhood, in all its permutations, should remain legal on Israeli soil or, at the very least, whether its institutions should continue to operate without restriction.
The Brotherhood does not only represent an alternative political ideology; all too often, it has served as a veil for radicalization and terror.
If US federal authorities, or additional states, follow Florida and Texas, and international pressure mounts, the chances of weakening the Brotherhood’s global reach will increase. Israel should not shy away from acting decisively.
For a country that has paid too dearly for Islamist extremism, there is little to lose and much to gain from drawing that line now, before tomorrow’s threats exact another terrible price.