VIDEO: Ambassador Nikki Haley’s Historic Statements to the UN on the Eve of Israel’s 70th Birthday

U.S. Vetoes UN Jerusalem Resolution “in Defense of American Sovereignty” – Amb. Nikki Haley (U.S. Mission to the UN)

After the UN Security Council vote on the Jerusalem resolution on Monday, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said:

• “The fact that this veto is being done in defense of American sovereignty and in defense of America’s role in the Middle East peace process is not a source of embarrassment for us; it should be an embarrassment to the remainder of the Security Council.”
• “The President took great care not to prejudge final status negotiations in any way, including the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem….It is highly regrettable that some are trying to distort the President’s position to serve their own agendas.”
• “What is troublesome to some people is that the United States had the courage and honesty to recognize a fundamental reality. Jerusalem has been the political, cultural, and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people for thousands of years. They have had no other capital city. But the United States’ recognition of the obvious – that Jerusalem is the capital and seat of the modern Israeli government – is too much for some.”
• “Back in 1980, when Jimmy Carter was the American President, the Security Council voted on Resolution 478, which called upon diplomatic missions to relocate from Jerusalem….Then-Secretary of State Ed Muskie said…’In our judgment, this provision is not binding. It is without force. And we reject it as a disruptive attempt to dictate to other nations.’…The United States will not be told by any country where we can put our embassy.”
• “The United States has done more than any other country to assist the Palestinian people. By far. Since 1994, we have given over $5 billion to the Palestinians….Last year, the United States voluntarily funded almost 30% of UNRWA’s budget. That’s more than the next two largest donors combined…. When the American people see a group of countries whose total contributions to the Palestinian people is less than 1% of UNRWA’s budget…accuse the United States of being insufficiently committed to peace, the American people lose their patience.”

• “What we witnessed here today in the Security Council is an insult. It won’t be forgotten. It’s one more example of the United Nations doing more harm than good in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Today, for the simple act of deciding where to put our embassy, the United States was forced to defend its sovereignty. The record will reflect that we did so proudly.”

See also UN Gives a Pass to Palestinian Leaders Who “Rejected One Peace Proposal after Another” – Amb. Nikki Haley (U.S. Mission to the UN)

Prior to the UN Security Council vote on the Jerusalem resolution on Monday, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said:

• “This week marks the one-year anniversary of the passage of Resolution 2334. On that day, in this Council, in December 2016, the United States elected to abstain, allowing the measure to pass….Given the chance to vote again on Resolution 2334, I can say with complete confidence that the United States would vote “no.”…It was Resolution 2334 itself that was an impediment to peace.”
• “This Security Council put the negotiations between Israelis and the Palestinians further out of reach by injecting itself, yet again, in between the two parties to the conflict. By misplacing the blame for the failure of peace efforts squarely on the Israeli settlements, the resolution gave a pass to Palestinian leaders who for many years rejected one peace proposal after another. It also gave them encouragement to avoid negotiations in the future….And the Council passed judgment on issues that must be decided in direct negotiations between the parties.”
• “Talking in New York cannot take the place of face-to-face negotiations between the regional parties. It only sets back the cause of peace, not advance it. As if to make this very point, Resolution 2334 demanded a halt to all Israeli settlement activity in east Jerusalem – even in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. This is something that no responsible person or country would ever expect Israel would do.”

“To the United Nations’ shame, this has been a disproportionately hostile place for the Middle East’s most enduring democracy. The United States refuses to accept the double standard that says we are not impartial when we stand by the will of the American people by moving our U.S. embassy, but somehow the United Nations is a neutral party when it consistently singles out Israel for condemnation.”

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