Aside from the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to replace Justice Scalia on the US Supreme Court, I'm not sure I've ever been any prouder of the Trump administration than I was during Nikki Haley's scathing and righteous speech before the UN General Assembly on Thursday. Katie wrote up Haley's remarks and the subsequent vote, in which the large majority of the UN's "community of nations" purported to declare the United States' decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel (which it is) 'null and void.' Your empty, symbolic votes to single out America for our unwavering support for a country you loathe mean nothing, Haley warned delegates. We've made our decision as a sovereign nation, and there's nothing you can do about it -- but we will remember your actions the next time you come, hat in hand, begging us for more money. Here's the video, in case you missed Amb. Haley's tour de force:
.@USUN Ambassador Nikki Haley: The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the @UN General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation...America will put our embassy in Jerusalem…This vote will be remembered. pic.twitter.com/pShm51nzFJ
— Department of State (@StateDept) December 21, 2017
To its shame, the United Nations has long been a hostile place for the state of Israel. Both the current and the previous Secretary-Generals have objected to the UN’s disproportionate focus on Israel. It’s a wrong that undermines the credibility of this institution, and that in turn is harmful for the entire world...When we make generous contributions to the UN, we also have a legitimate expectation that our good will is recognized and respected. When a nation is singled out for attack in this organization, that nation is disrespected. What’s more, that nation is asked to pay for the “privilege” of being disrespected. In the case of the United States, we are asked to pay more than anyone else for that dubious privilege. Unlike in some UN member countries, the United States government is answerable to its people. As such, we have an obligation to acknowledge when our political and financial capital is being poorly spent. We have an obligation to demand more for our investment. And if our investment fails, we have an obligation to spend our resources in more productive ways.Those are the thoughts that come to mind when we consider the resolution before us today...The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation. We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world’s largest contribution to the United Nations. And we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit. America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do. And it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN. And this vote will be remembered.
Contrast that moral clarity with the shameful and craven actions of the previous administration, and the gratuitous and disloyal votes of normal US allies. Good for her. Israel was one of just eight nations who joined the United States on this vote, with a few dozen more abstaining. Haley is hosting a 'friendship reception' for the nations that chose not to vote against the US on this issue Israel's Prime Minister tweeted a short video thanking America and Amb. Haley for their leadership:
Thank you, Ambassador Haley. On Hanukkah, you spoke like a Maccabi. You lit a candle of truth. You dispel the darkness. One defeated the many. Truth defeated lies. Thank you, President Trump. Thank you, Nikki Haley. pic.twitter.com/zFIiStoait
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) December 18, 2017
Jerusalem is
the capital of Israel. That's a fact. It will remain a fact. It has been US policy to recognize that fact since 1995, reaffirmed overwhelmingly by Congress this past summer. After campaigning to relocate America's embassy accordingly, other presidents eventually chose to seek waivers to the law; President Trump chose to follow through on his pledge and not evade compliance any longer. A sovereign nation made a decision to uphold its own policy -- established by the elected representatives of a free people -- and to acknowledge empirical reality. For that transgression, the pitiful and feckless United Nations voted to condemn that sovereign nation. Americans should not forget Amb. Haley's leadership on this issue, nor should we forget the countries who sided with "the jackals" over the Middle East's only liberal democracy and United States of America. Between her General Assembly address and her defiant Security Council veto, this week has been Nikki Haley's finest hour:
The United States will not be told by any country where we can put our embassy. pic.twitter.com/vSmPerYT4q
— Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 18, 2017
Thank you, Madame Ambassador. As for the very first point she made at her speech, here is CNN's Jake Tapper calling out the mind-boggling hypocrisy and perverse priorities of the United Nations. His upbraiding of certain member nations is excellent, but keep w until the very end. The statistic he shares about UN resolutions is really extraordinary. Not all criticism of Israel policy is "anti-Semitic," obviously, but Tapper heavily hints that there's something dark behind the grossly disproportionate targeting of Israel by the UN. He's right:
Watch this excellent @jaketapper comment on the UN General Assembly vote against the US and Israel today. The same General Assembly that systematically ignores virtually every genuine human rights atrocity in the world. https://t.co/OKEMVbudIa
— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) December 21, 2017
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