American UN Ambassador Nikki Haley: All I’ve Done With Israel Is Tell the Truth
“All I’ve done with Israel is tell the truth,” US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told a New York City gathering on Wednesday about the prominent role she has taken in defending the Jewish state since she assumed her current position two months ago. “So when I saw something wrong, I called it out.”
At a Council on Foreign Relations event, the former South Carolina governor was asked by Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue, “How can you signal to Israel that we are Israel’s friend and ally but also when we see something that might not be in the best interests of a two-state solution, communicate that?”
In response, Haley said, “I will tell you, there is such a huge want of so many people to see Israel and the Palestinian Authority come together. And I think that’s why you have seen President [Donald] Trump, who’s just adamant that this is going to happen, do that. I met…with the representative from the Palestinian Authority, and we talked about the situation here at the United Nations. And what I said to him was: Look, we just want balance. We just want it to be fair. And in doing that, what I, you know, had asked of him was, don’t put any more resolutions on the table bashing Israel. But at the same time, we’re not going to be able to really support you going forward in moving up if you don’t come to the table and negotiate.”
“So we’ve actually been pretty tough on both in terms of Israel having to come to the table and the Palestinian Authority coming to the table,” she continued. “I think that they will. The two need to decide what that solution looks like, and the two need to come together. They both claim they are. We’ll see what happens.”
“And I know the settlements issue is going to be an area of contention, but they’ve got to work it out,” Haley added. “They’ve got to figure out exactly where they’re going to be so that we can finally have peace in that area. And that’s my hope and prayer, is that that happens.”
On Monday, in remarks she made at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference in Washington, DC, Haley declared, “The days of Israel-bashing are over…For anyone who says you can’t get anything done at the UN, they need to know there is a new sheriff in town.”