Nikki Haley in Jerusalem: UN cannot continue to bully Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanks visiting US ambassador to the United Nations for standing with Israel.

By HERB KEINON
Updated: JUNE 7, 2017 14:26
PM Netanyahu meets US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (credit: GPO)
The UN understands that it cannot go on “bullying” Israel as it has in the past, Washington's ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said Wednesday after meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Haley, who arrived early Wednesday morning for a three-day visit, said that she was “overwhelmed” by the reactions she has received since taking over her position for coming out squarely against the anti-Israel bias at the UN.
“All I've done is tell the truth,” she said.
Haley said that it had simply become habit in the UN to bully Israel – simply because it was possible – but that she has “no patience” for bullying.
“I think they know they can't keep responding in the way they've been responding. They sense that the tone has changed,” she said.
Netanyahu welcomed her by thanking her for standing up for Israel and for the “truth,” which he said “is standing up for America.”
“People appreciate truth,” he said. “ We have an ancient Hebrew saying that when somebody tells a truth, you can feel it. So people feel it, they not only understand it, they feel it. And we feel it. We're glad to see the fruits of your efforts, uncommon common sense.”
Netanyahu said that US President Donald Trump and Haley have “changed the discourse, have drawn new standards, and everybody's taking [them] up, and that's great. I think it makes a world of difference, both for Israel and the US.”
Haley also met Wednesday morning with President Reuven Rivlin who said that as a result of her efforts,  “Israel is no longer alone in the UN, Israel is no longer the UN's punching bag.”
While Rivlin said that Israel's standing in the UN has improved since January, when he addressed the body on the International Holocaust Memorial Day, “there is still a long way to go,” both in terms of official declarations issued by UN bodies,and also in terms of reducing the “absurd” number of discussions and resolutions about Israel. Haley assumed her position at the end of January.
Haley replied that while she appreciates the support she has received from the people of Israel, “I feel somewhat guilty because all I did at the United Nations was tell the truth.” She repeated what she said standing alongside Netanyahu, that the UN has been bullying Israel for a long time, and that “we are not going to let that happen anymore.”
“It is a new day for Israel in the United Nations,” she said. Haley arrived in Israel from Geneva, where she told the UN Human Rights Council that is located there that the US may leave that body unless it stops its Israel bashing. Hopefully, she said alongside Rivlin, “it will be a new day at the Human Rights Council when it comes to Israel.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, who met Haley with Netanyahu, presented her with a necklace and pendant of an ancient menorah dating back 1,400 years that was found during an archeological dig in the City of David.
Hotovely said the pendant was a token of Israel's appreciation for the stands she has taken at the UN.
“On behalf of the Israeli public I thank you for your many actions to correct the bias against Israel in the UN and to fight for the truth,” she said. “The disgraceful efforts in the UN to surrender to Palestinian propaganda and sever the ties between the Jewish people and Jerusalem can end when the US leads to a change in the UN’s direction.”