While Israel’s UN Ambassador applauded US ambassador Nikki Haley’s decision to reject the appointment of a Palestinian to be UN envoy to Libya, PLO official Hanan Ashrawi referred to the move as “unconscionable.”
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon praised his US counterpart Nikki Haley for blocking the nomination of former Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to be the new UN envoy to Libya, referring to it as a demonstration of standing alongside Israel in the UN.
“This is the beginning of a new era at the UN,” said Danon. “The new Administration proved once again that it stands firmly alongside the State of Israel in the international arena and in the UN in particular.”
Haley expressed such sentiment in her remarks explaining her decision to veto Fayyad’s appointment.
“For too long the UN has been unfairly biased in favor of the Palestinian Authority to the detriment of our allies in Israel,” she said adding that, therefore, the US would not “support the signal this appointment would send within the United Nations.”
“Going forward, the United States will act, not just talk, in support of our allies,” Haley added.
Spokeswoman for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, rejected any assertions of bias against Israel or specific favoritism towards the PA in selecting Fayyad.
“United Nations staff serve strictly in their personal capacity,” she insisted. “They do not represent any government or country.”
Guterres had notified the UN Security Council this past week of his decision to appoint Fayyad for new UN envoy to Libya, a country that has been embroiled with internal conflict following the ousting of Moammar Gaddafi’s government in September 2011.
Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, harshly condemned Haley’s decision to reject Fayyad, describing it as “unconscionable.”
“Blocking the appointment of Dr. Salam Fayyad is a case of blatant discrimination on the basis of national identity,” she argued.
By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News