US ambassador to UN: 'Hezbollah uses towns to protect tens of thousands of rockets'
Nikki Haley harshly criticizes the UN's conduct during a discussion on the Middle East, claiming the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is important, but Iran and Hezbollah terrorism is more significant to the region.
Haley, an enthusiastic supporter of Israel, noted that the Security Council has ignored recent threats in the Middle East, focusing more on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict instead of more burning issues like Iran and Hezbollah.
Haley argued that the Security Council paid little attention to these threats, but the United States would not ignore them. "In Syria, Hezbollah controls territory on the ground. With Iran's instructions, its militias stand side by side with Syrian troops as they slaughter the Syrian people. Sometimes Hezbollah is the one giving orders to Assad's fighters. Hezbollah helped Assad starve and destroy Aleppo."
Speaking of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Hailey said, “All I have done is tell the truth. I’ve called it out like I see it and I’ll continue to do that, but there is no one that doesn’t want to see a peace process between those two bodies,” she added. “I think we all feel like it should happen—it can happen and we want to see it come together.”
“We want to see a pause on additional settlements,” she added. “My hope is that we have willingness from both sides coming together to really allow for that conversation to take place.”
Danon thanked the United States for its support of Israel and attacked the conduct of the Security Council: “There is no doubt that the UN is on notice about the winds of change which have blown in from Washington. They are not going to tolerate an obsessive focus on Israel with so many other crises around the world.
“Everywhere you see terrorism and travesties in the region, you see Iran,” he said. “If you are going to have a periodical meeting on the situation on the Middle East, then Iran must be the main focus,” Danon said.
In December, the Security Council approved Resolution 2334, which states that the settlements are illegal. Fourteen of the 15 Security Council members supported a proposal against the settlements initiated by Malaysia, New Zealand, Venezuela and Senegal after Egypt withdrew from it. The United States, then under the administration of Barack Obama, chose to abstain, and in a very unusual move—for the first time in Obama's presidency—did not veto a resolution against Israel.
(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
