Haley: Israel will ‘never again’ question support from US
The new US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley attempted to underscore the Trump administration’s position on ties with Israel during a weekend meeting with Jerusalem’s envoy to the UN, Danny Danon.
The top US diplomat took to Twitter on Saturday to hail the “great meeting” with Danon in New York to “discuss our strong relationship.”
Haley also referred to the apparent shift from the strained ties between the Israeli government and the previous White House administration of Barack Obama.
“Never again will our allies question our support,” she said.
Haley’s meeting with Danon over the weekend came ahead of the first meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scheduled for February 15 in Washington. Trump is reportedly planning to discuss the peace process in that meeting.
Although she was a frequent critic of Trump during the election campaign, and has little foreign policy and no US federal government experience, Haley accepted the offer of the post of ambassador to the UN in November.
At her Senate confirmation hearing, Haley, who formerly served as South Carolina’s governor, slammed the Obama administration for allowing “mistreatment” of Israel in the halls of an organization with a long record of disproportionately targeting the Jewish state.
She called a resolution that passed through the Security Council in December condemning Israel’s settlement enterprise – facilitated by a US abstention – “the ultimate low,” a “terrible mistake,” a “kick in the gut” and a message to the world that America’s commitments to its allies ring hollow.
That resolution, number 2334, suggested that “being an ally of the United States doesn’t mean anything,” Haley told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“I will not go to New York and abstain when the UN seeks to create an international environment that encourages boycotts of Israel,” Haley said. “I will never abstain when the United Nations takes any action that comes in direct conflict with the interests and values of the United States.”
Michael Wilner and Reuters contributed to this report.