When it comes to combating anti-Israel bias at the United Nations, “there’s a new sheriff in town,” United States Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley proclaimed on Monday at the AIPAC Policy Conference.
Haley cited two episodes that demonstrated her commitment to protecting Israel from unfair attacks. First, she recalled how she blocked the appointment of a former Palestinian Authority official to a high UN post. On Haley’s watch, she said, there will be “no freebies for the Palestinian Authority anymore” until the PA decides to negotiate with Israel in good faith.
Haley also mentioned how she called UN Secretary-General António Guterres and told him to withdraw a UN agency report, co-authored by 9/11 conspiracy theorist Richard Falk, which falsely described Israel as an apartheid state. Guterres withdrew the report, and the director of the agency that commissioned the report resigned.
Haley touched on the speech she made shortly after attending her first Middle East-related Security Council session, in which she expressed her surprise and shock that the session focused exclusively on Israel’s alleged sins, ignoring issues like the Islamic State and the Syrian civil war. Haley recalled that she had heard that anti-Israel bias was an issue at the UN, but “until you hear it and you see it, you can’t comprehend how ridiculous it is.”
She also criticized the nuclear deal with Iran. When it comes to Iran’s behavior, she promised, “We’re gonna watch them like a hawk. We’re going to make sure that every single thing they do is watched, processed, and dealt with.”
Haley lambasted the Obama administration’s decision to abstain last year in a vote on UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which criticized Israeli activities in eastern Jerusalem and the West Bank.
When Resolution 2234 happened and the U.S. abstained, the whole country felt a kick in the gut….We don’t have a greater friend than Israel. And to see that happen was not only embarrassing, it was hurtful. And so what I can tell you is that everyone at the United Nations is scared to talk to me about Resolution 2234. And I want them to know that, look, that happened, but it will never happen again.
“I wear heels,” Haley said. “It’s not for a fashion statement. It’s because when I kick them, they’re going to feel it every single time.”
On her watch, Haley proclaimed, “The days of Israel-bashing are over.”
AIPAC crowd going wild over Nikki Haley #AIPAC2017 #AddYourVoice pic.twitter.com/zNWLcCfysL
— Jacob Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) March 27, 2017
Half of #AIPAC2017 Googling the presidential line of succession to see how far back the UN ambassador is
— Armin Rosen (@ArminRosen) March 27, 2017
Don't hold me to this, but I think @nikkihaley just launched her presidential campaign at #AIPAC2017
— (((;ShimoniStoil;))) (@RebeccaStoil) March 27, 2017
[Photo: AIPAC / YouTube ]