“America is less safe today,” Nikki Haley said. That’s the biggest price we’ll pay for Biden’s failure in Afghanistan.”

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley slammed President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in a series of posts across her social media channels on Monday, saying that he “gave the terrorists a win and he knows it.”

“I will never forget the day my husband Michael deployed to Afghanistan – January 10, 2013. It was tough for our family to watch him go, but we knew he was doing his duty,” Haley wrote on Twitter.

“Now I’ll never forget August 15th, 2021: the day Afghanistan fell to the Taliban.”

Biden’s statements blaming the chaotic withdrawal on what he called a lack of willpower among Afghan troops did not sit well with Haley.

“Biden is trying to distract and imply his option was to either send more troops or end a war. That wasn’t the case. It has always been about protecting America,” she wrote.

“This exit from Afghanistan and the way it was done was pathetic. He gave the terrorists a win and he knows it.”

Biden is trying to distract and imply his option was to either send more troops or end a war. That wasn’t the case. It has always been about protecting America. This exit from Afghanistan and the way it was done was pathetic. He gave the terrorists a win and he knows it.

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) August 16, 2021

Haley also said that Biden’s announcement that he would give a speech about the Afghan situation to the American people in the coming days was unacceptable.

She referenced the current crisis on the U.S.’s southern border and the government’s reluctance to effectively manage the situation, and implied that the Biden administration is unwilling to acknowledge pressing crises that directly impact the safety of Americans.

In an Instagram story, Haley acknowledged that she understood the perspective of people who believed withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan was necessary as the situation had become an unresolvable quagmire.

But she noted that an American presence in Afghanistan is critical to deter terror and safeguard the U.S. in the long run.

“There are many barbaric regimes in the world. It is not America’s duty to police them. Afghanistan, however, is different. Twenty years ago, the terrorists bred in that country came for us. Now they are getting what they wanted.”

Haley also touched on the poor optics of the U.S. appearing to have been defeated by a ragtag group of terrorists.

“China, Russia, and Iran are watching a weak and retreating America unable to protect our interests,” she said.

“As a result, America is less safe today. That’s the biggest price we’ll pay for Biden’s failure in Afghanistan.”

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Foreign minister Zarif tweets suggestion that the two “regimes” also withdraw from planet Earth.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Following the American and Israeli administrations’ departure Monday from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and cultural Organization (UNESCO), Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif took to Twitter to ridicule his country’s biggest enemies.

He referred to other international agreements that President Donald Trump had left, including the nuclear deal with Iran, two trade agreements and the Paris Climate accord, and mockingly suggested that nothing else was left except to leave planet Earth as well, along with Israel.

The United States and Israel had given the mandated one-year’s notice of withdrawal at the end of 2017 and carried through with their threat on Monday. The main cause was UNESCO’s refusal to stop bashing the Jewish state, passing of dozens of resolutions condemning Israel and others that erased any Jewish links to its holiest sites.

“After #JCPOA, #NAFTA, #TPP, Climate Convention & …, the Trump regime—along with the Israeli regime—today officially withdrew from #UNESCO. Is anything left for the Trump Administration and its client regime to withdraw from? Perhaps from planet Earth altogether?” Zarif tweeted.

Last year, for example, UNESCO labeled Hebron a “Palestinian heritage site,” although it contains the Machpela Cave in which the Jewish foremothers and forefathers are buried. Egregious resolutions that raised both American and Israeli ire in 2016 included declarations that Israel has no rights to Jerusalem and labeling the Temple Mount and Old City of Jerusalem as Moslem holy sites only.

UNESCO’s self-described mandate is “to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture.” As such, its website boasts that among other tasks, “UNESCO develops educational tools to help people live as global citizens free of hate and intolerance,” and that “by promoting cultural heritage and the equal dignity of all cultures, UNESCO strengthens bonds among nations.”

Outgoing American ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley described the situation Tuesday, making it clear that her country believes that the organization has fallen far from these ideals.

“UNESCO is among the most corrupt and politically biased UN agencies,” Haley tweeted. “Today the U.S. withdrawal from this cesspool became official. #USStrong”

Israel’s UN envoy, Danny Danon, said that his country “will not be a member of an organization whose goal is to deliberately act against us and that has become a tool manipulated by Israel’s enemies.”

He also tweeted: “Remember how @JZarif said in an interview with @LePoint on Dec 19 that no one in Iran wants to annihilate Israel? Well, calling for #Israel (and the #UnitedStates) to withdraw “from planet Earth altogether” sure sounds like calling for the demise of our countries.”

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Responding to Nikki Haley’s push for Trump’s “deal of the century,” eight European countries and Russia insisted that only a two-state solution could succeed.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The European members of the United Nations Security Council and Russia warned the American administration Tuesday that any Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement must include a Palestinian state. Otherwise, they said, it will be doomed to failure.

The statement came in reaction to outgoing U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s last remarks at the U.N. Tuesday, in which she did not mention the words “Palestinian state” when discussing the as-yet-unrevealed plan in general terms.

The absence of these words seemingly did not sit well with France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Holland, Sweden, Belgium and Poland. They issued a joint statement stressing the importance of “the internationally agreed parameters for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on international law, relevant UN resolutions and previous agreements.”

“The EU is truly convinced that a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as the capital of both states” is the only viable and realistic way to end the conflict and achieve a just and lasting peace, satisfying “Israeli and Palestinian security needs and Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty” as well as ending the “occupation” and resolving all final status issues,” the statement said.

Russia, too, joined the chorus, with its UN representative, Vasily Nebenzya, telling the TASS news agency that “it is crucial to rely on a two-state solution.”

Haley said the plan is “different from all previous ones” and “recognizes the realities on the ground in the Middle East have changed” — as has technology, which can help both sides, although she did not give any specifics.

Charging the Palestinian leadership with clinging to “50-year-old demands that have only become less and less realistic” while their people “are suffering terribly,” she challenged them to be visionaries instead and to seriously consider the plan when it is revealed, hopefully early next year.

She emphasized that the Palestinians stand to gain tremendously if they enter negotiations. “What awaits the Palestinian people with a peace agreement are the prospects of a massive improvement in the quality of their lives and far greater control over their political future,” she said.

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While the U.N. voted overwhelmingly to condemn the U.S.’ ongoing embargo of Cuba, Israel supported the American stand against human rights abuses and lack of freedom in the island nation.

By Associated Press and World Israel News Staff

On Thursday, the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution condemning the American economic embargo of Cuba and rejecting proposed U.S. amendments strongly criticizing the lack of human rights in the communist nation.

Resolutions adopted by the 193-member world body are unenforceable, but they reflect the opinion of the anti-Israel and increasingly anti-American international organization.

The embargo was imposed in 1960 following the communist revolution led by Fidel Castro and the nationalization of properties belonging to U.S. citizens and corporations, and two years later it was strengthened.

The General Assembly’s vote on the Cuban-sponsored resolution on the “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba” was 189-2 with no abstentions.

The U.S. and Israel voted “no” and Moldova and Ukraine did not vote.

In earlier separate votes on the proposed U.S. amendments, Ukraine and Israel were the only countries to join the U.S. in voting “yes” on all eight measures while the Marshall Islands backed one amendment. Some 114 countries voted against the amendments and about 65 abstained.

The proposed amendments expressed serious concern at the lack of freedom of expression and access to information in Cuba and the prohibition on workers’ right to strike. They called on Cuba to fully grant its citizens “internationally recognized civil, political and economic rights and freedoms,” to establish an independent civil society and to release people detained for exercising their human rights.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley stressed before the votes that “our reason for the embargo is and has always been Cuba’s denial of freedom and the denial of the most basic human rights for the Cuban people.”

She urged the General Assembly to use its “megaphone” and “send a moral message to the Cuban dictatorship” that could help improve the lives of the Cuban people.

US and Israel Stand Alone

But the United States failed to get support even from Western nations.

The European Union said the U.S. amendments did not belong in a resolution dealing with a trade embargo, and its members supported the resolution calling for the United States “to repeal or invalidate” the embargo. Canada also spoke out against the amendments.

Before the vote Haley said: “We have no problem standing alone on behalf of the things that we believe in and will proudly do so again today if necessary.”

Following the U.S. defeat, however, Haley told the General Assembly: “There are no winners here today, there are only losers.”

She said the U.N. “lost the opportunity to speak on behalf of human rights,” but most of all the Cuban people have “been left, once again, to the brutal winds of the Castro dictatorship.”

“They have been abandoned by the United Nations and most of the world’s governments, but the Cuban people are not alone today,” Haley said. “The American people will stand with them until they are restored the rights that God has given us all, rights that no government can legitimately deny its people.”

The decision by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to call for a vote on each of the eight amendments represents an escalation of its action last year and reflects worsening U.S.-Cuban relations.

Cuban President Raul Castro and then-President Barack Obama officially restored relations in July 2016. But Ambassador Haley and others have sharply criticized Cuba’s human rights record. In 2017, the U.S. returned to voting against the resolution condemning the American economic embargo after the Obama administration abstained in 2016, a first for the United States in 25 years.

‘Troika of Tyranny’: Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua

Thursday’s vote came shortly before Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton announced in Florida that the administration is imposing new sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela and soon on Nicaragua, calling the three countries a “troika of tyranny.”

On Wednesday, diplomats voiced their support for the Cuban resolution.

Egyptian Ambassador Mohamed Edrees, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 which represents 135 developing countries and China, pointed to “the positive steps … focused in the right direction” taken by the Obama administration and expressed regret at the Trump administration’s new policy “aimed at strengthening the embargo against Cuba.”

Ambassador Sheila Carey of the Bahamas reiterated the Caribbean Community’s “unequivocal opposition” to the embargo and said last year’s near unanimous vote in favor of immediately lifting the embargo “is a clear indication of prevalent disapproval by the U.N. membership.”

South African Ambassador Jerry Matjila expressed regret that the gradual relaxation of the embargo under Obama has been reversed “and the people of Cuba are once again faced with a monumental obstacle toward the fulfillment of their basic human rights, including the right to development.”

In 2017, the 193-member General Assembly adopted the Cuban-sponsored resolution by a vote of 191-2, with Israel joining the U.S. in voting “no.” That was the same vote as in 2015.

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U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley’s surprise departure raises questions about her successor. A former Trump Mideast adviser who left for the private sector is considered the front-runner.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley will be a hard act to follow, particularly in Israel where her announcement sparked an outpouring of praise and gratitude from Jewish leaders. Her surprise announcement Tuesday that she will step down from her post sparked speculation on a possible successor.

Several names have been floated. Dina Powell, a Goldman Sachs executive and former Mideast adviser to Trump, is considered the front-runner. Powell is on the short-list, Trump admitted to reporters on board Air Force One late Tuesday. Four other candidates are on the list whom he did not name.

Powell, who is Egyptian born, immigrated with her family to Texas when she was young. She served as Trump’s U.S. deputy national security adviser, working on Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The Washington Post described her as a “driving force behind the Trump administration’s Middle East policy.” She speaks fluent Arabic.

Powell announced her departure in December, 2017, shortly after Trump declared his decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

Unlike others, Powell left on good terms with the administration, receiving effusive praise from then-national security adviser H.R. McMaster, calling her “one of the most talented and effective leaders with whom I have ever served.” She became close with the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump while at the White House, according to reports with The New York Times in May 2017 describing her as “Ms. Trump’s all-around guide in the administration.”

Powell had filled several positions under George W. Bush’s administration.

Another candidate whose name has been floated is U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell.  Trump said he “absolutely” would consider Grenell but that he also likes him where he is because he’s “doing such a good job.” Grenell only began his ambassadorship in April, after a significant Senate confirmation delay of seven months.

Also named by Trump on Tuesday as a possible replacement for Haley was his own daughter Ivanka. However, in a tweet early Wednesday she dismissed this possibility.

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Nikki Haley, who resigned Tuesday as US Ambassador to the UN, not only stood up for Israel. She also addressed all injustice in the world, calling out member states for their hypocrisy. Here are some of her greatest moments.

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Responding to praise by President Donald Trump over her “incredible” service as US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley called the ambassadorship the “honor of a lifetime” while describing the achievements of the administration over the past two years.

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Iran is “reportedly developing the capability for its proxy militias to produce their own missiles inside of Iraq,” Haley warned.

By: World Israel News Staff

In her remarks at a UN Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned that “Iranian proxies in Iraq operate openly, with funding, training, and weapons supplied by Tehran. The Iranian regime has reportedly begun over the last few months to transfer ballistic missiles to these proxies in Iraq. It is reportedly developing the capability for its proxy militias to produce their own missiles inside of Iraq.”

Iran, not Israel, ‘merits debate in Security Council’

“I have always been open about my belief that this Middle East debate has been excessively and unfairly focused on Israel. Today, I will go one step further. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is serious and worthy of this Council’s attention. But if there is one country that is the source of conflict and instability in the Middle East – one country that merits a quarterly debate in the Security Council – that country is not Israel. It’s Iran,” she stated.

“In a blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty, the Iranian regime recently fired a barrage of missiles from Iran into Iraq,” the ambassador charged. “Iran attacked the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, killing 11 people. This was not an act of Iranian proxies but of the Tehran regime itself. It was Iran’s first direct military strike into Iraqi territory in over a decade. This Iranian interference in the sovereignty of Iraq should be of great interest to the Security Council for many reasons, not least of which is because it occurs in clear defiance of Security Council resolutions.

“Iranian General and head of the IRGC Quds Force Soleimani is leading an effort to influence the composition of a new Iraqi government. I remind my colleagues that Soleimani was banned from traveling outside of Iran by the Security Council in 2007. That ban was reaffirmed in 2015 with the passage of Security Council Resolution 2231. Despite this unambiguous travel ban, Soleimani has practically taken up residence in Iraq since the May elections. This fact was noted by the Secretary-General in the most recent 2231 Implementation Report. And let’s be clear about what Soleimani is up to in Iraq. He is not there to help create a government in Baghdad that is responsive to the Iraqi people. He is there to build an Iraqi government that is under the control of the Iranian regime.

“Iran treats Iraq like it’s not an independent nation. Iran sees Iraq as a transit point for weapons and a training ground for its proxies. Iran seeks to keep Iraq economically weak. Why? Because Iran wants to use a weak Iraq to illicitly fund its terrorist activities.”

White House puts Tehran ‘firmly on notice’

“There is one more recent Iranian escalation that bears special consequence to Americans,” Haley continued. “Two weeks ago, two Iranian proxy groups launched rocket attacks on the American Embassy in Baghdad and the US. Consulate in Basra. Using proxy forces in Iraq does not give the Iranian regime plausible deniability when attacks like this occur. The Trump Administration does not, and will not, buy that. Iran could have stopped its proxies’ attacks. It chose not to, so the White House responded by putting Tehran firmly on notice. We hold the Iranian regime fully accountable for its proxies’ attacks on U.S. facilities and personnel in Iraq. And we will not hesitate to vigorously defend American lives.”

Haley said the US is “committed to working with Iraq to help it create an inclusive and independent government,” noting that Iran’s activities are pulling the Iraqi people backward.

“This is the very same conflict and division that Iran promotes in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and across the Middle East,” she said.

“All members of the Security Council who respect the principle of national sovereignty should be concerned. And all who respect the right to self-determination for the Iraqi people should come to their defense,” Haley concluded.

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 Trump is “very adamant” that Iran must “fall in line with international order,” Haley stated.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley announced Tuesday that President Donald Trump will chair a Security Council session on Iran on Sept. 26 that will stress the need for the Islamic Republic to “fall in line with international order” and the urgency of the situation.

The United States is currently holding the presidency of the Council, which rotates on a monthly basis between its 15 members.

Haley has consistently but unsuccessfully called out Iran’s support of international terrorism and hegemonic ambitions in the international forum, and now it will be the president’s turn to try and convince member states that due to its problematic behavior, tough action should and can be taken against Tehran.

“[President Trump] is calling the meeting to address Iran’s violations of international law and the general instability Iran sows throughout the entire Middle East region,” she said, as he is “very adamant” that Iran must act within the norms of every other country.

“We continue to see them engage in things that are not helpful, whether it’s in Lebanon, whether it’s in Yemen, or…Syria,” Haley said, noting three states where Iran’s terror proxies are part of the government (Lebanon), trying to take over the country (Yemen), or becoming so entrenched that it might become difficult to tell who is running the regime (Syria).

Smiling slightly, the  diplomat added that the subject matter might make certain Council members “uncomfortable,” but “when we talk about things that are uncomfortable in the Security Council, good things happen.”

UNRWA ‘is not serving Palestinians’

Haley also discussed the withdrawal of funding to UNRWA, stressing that this did not mean the United States was cutting aid to the Palestinians.

“And there’s a big difference,” she stated, stressing that the aid agency “is not serving Palestinians. It is a political arm that claims to serve Palestinians.”

The United States has been demanding reform in the organization for two years, but to no avail, she added.

Warning to Assad not to use chemical weapons

Haley called the situation in Syria “tragic,” but while openly acknowledging that the regime could finish the job of retaking the country – which implied that the United States would not get involved — she also made it clear that Assad must not use chemical weapons to achieve his goal.

“We’re not going to fall for it. If there are chemical weapons that are used, we know exactly who’s gonna use them,” she said.

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“The Palestinians continue to bash America,” but “they have their hand out wanting UNRWA money,” Haley said.

By: World Israel News

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, in an address at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies summit in Washington on Tuesday, said the Trump administration is seeking ways to scrap the Palestinian “right of return” and to end all funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).

“The countries we give money to – do they believe what we believe?” she asked rhetorically.

“If they’re shouting ‘Death to America,’ why would we give them money?”

“The Palestinians continue to bash America…this is the government, not the people,” but “they have their hand out wanting UNRWA money,” she said.

UNRWA can stay there, and we can be a donor if they reform.”

The Palestinians reacted with fury, accusing the US of bullying.

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If the attacks against the Jewish state caused by arson terrorists in Gaza over the last three months were being launched at any other country, the international media would be giving it a lot of attention, Haley said, noting that the damaged land in Israel, a tiny country, is proportionally equal to 10 times the land area of Paris.

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Israel praised the US for its withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, while other countries and organizations expressed opposition and disappointment.  

By: World Israel News and AP

Israel welcomed the US announcement that it was withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) due to its anti-Israel bias.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement thanking President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley for “their courageous decision against the hypocrisy and the lies of the so-called UN Human Rights Council.”

“For years, the UNHRC has proven to be a biased, hostile, anti-Israel organization that has betrayed its mission of protecting human rights,” Netanyahu charged. “Instead of dealing with regimes that systematically violate human rights, the UNHRC obsessively focuses on Israel, the one genuine democracy in the Middle East.”

He noted that the US decision to “leave this prejudiced body is an unequivocal statement that enough is enough.”

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon welcomed the announcement, stating that the UNHRC “has long been the foe of those who truly care about human rights around the world.”

“The United States has proven, yet again, its commitment to truth and justice and its unwillingness to allow the blind hatred of Israel in international institutions to stand unchallenged,” he added.

Danon thanked Trump, Pompeo and Haley for “their leadership” and called on “the moral majority at the UN to hold all of its institutions accountable.”

Israeli Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanebi thanked the American leadership for the move while noting that it was “a shame” that “the world’s worst human rights abusers have used what should be a valuable institution to repeatedly and unjustifiably condemn Israel while simultaneously ignoring actual atrocities.”

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank close to the Trump administration, defended the move, calling the council “notably incurious about the human rights situations in some of the world’s most oppressive countries.”

Brett Schaefer, a senior fellow, pointed out that Trump could have withdrawn immediately after taking office but instead gave the council 18 months to make changes.

There were also critics

UNHRC chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, a Jordanian, tweeted that it was “disappointing, if not really surprising, news. Given the state of human rights in today’s world, the US should be stepping up, not stepping back.”

Russia’s UN mission said in a statement that the US exit from the council reflected Washington’s unilateralist approach to global affairs.

It said the US had tried but failed to turn the body into an “obedient instrument for advancing their interests and punishing the countries it dislikes,” and that American criticism of the body for failing to make changes advocated by Washington appeared “cynical.”

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that the US withdrawal was “regrettable” and that the UK’s support for the council remained steadfast.

“We’ve made no secret of the fact that the UK wants to see reform of the Human Rights Council, but we are committed to working to strengthen the council from within,” Johnson said in a statement.

‘All Trump seems to care about is defending Israel’

Opposition to the decision from human rights advocates was swift. A group of 12 organizations, including Save the Children, Freedom House and the United Nations Association-USA, said there were “legitimate concerns” about the council’s shortcomings but that none of them warranted a US exit.

“This decision is counterproductive to American national security and foreign policy interests and will make it more difficult to advance human rights priorities and aid victims of abuse around the world,” the organizations said in a joint statement.

“All Trump seems to care about is defending Israel,” said Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch.

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US Ambassador Haley announced her country’s decision to pull out of the UN Human Rights Council, noting its “chronic bias against Israel.”

By: AP and World Israel News Staff

The United States is leaving the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, which Ambassador Nikki Haley called “an organization that is not worthy of its name.”

Haley said Tuesday the US had given the human rights body “opportunity after opportunity” to make changes. She lambasted the council for “its chronic bias against Israel” and lamented the fact that its membership includes accused human rights abusers such as China, Cuba, Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“We take this step because our commitment does not allow us to remain a part of a hypocritical and self-serving organization that makes a mockery of human rights,” Haley said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, appearing alongside Haley at the State Department, said there was no doubt that the council once had a “noble vision.”

“But today we need to be honest,” Pompeo said. “The Human Rights Council is a poor defender of human rights.”

The announcement came just a day after the UN human rights chief, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, denounced the Trump administration for separating migrant children from their parents.

But Haley cited longstanding US complaints that the 47-member council is biased against Israel. She had been threatening the pull-out since last year unless the council made changes advocated by the US

“Regrettably, it is now clear that our call for reform was not heeded,” Haley said.

Decision need not be permanent

Still, she suggested the decision need not be permanent, adding that if the council did adopt reforms, “we would be happy to rejoin it.” She said the withdrawal notwithstanding, the US would continue to defend human rights at the United Nations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called the US decision “courageous,” adding that it was “an unequivocal statement that enough is enough.”

Since January 2017, the Trump administration has announced its withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, left the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal.

Opposition from human rights advocates to the US decision to withdraw from the council was swift. A group of 12 organizations, including Save the Children, Freedom House and the United Nations Association-USA, said there were “legitimate concerns” about the council’s shortcomings but that none of them warranted a US exit.

“This decision is counterproductive to American national security and foreign policy interests and will make it more difficult to advance human rights priorities and aid victims of abuse around the world,” the organizations said in a joint statement.

Added Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch: “All Trump seems to care about is defending Israel.”

On Twitter, al-Hussein said it was “disappointing, if not really surprising, news. Given the state of #HumanRights in today’s world, the US should be stepping up, not stepping back.”

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank close to the Trump administration, defended the move, calling the council “notably incurious about the human rights situations in some of the world’s most oppressive countries.” Brett Schaefer, a senior fellow, pointed out that Trump could have withdrawn immediately after taking office but instead gave the council 18 months to make changes.

Israel is the only country in the world whose rights record comes up for discussion at every council session, under “Item 7” on the agenda. Item 7 on “Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories” has been part of the council’s regular business almost as long as it has existed.

The US pullout is likely to make it easier for the UNHRC to pass resolutions against Israel.

The US is Israel’s biggest defender in UN bodies.

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US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley slammed the international body for its anti-Israel bias and criticized members who are quick to denounce Israel but fail to oppose Hamas.

The post WATCH: Haley slams UN for anti-Israel bias appeared first on World Israel News.

The US “will unquestionably veto Kuwait’s draft resolution,” Haley vowed, calling it “a grossly one-sided approach that is morally bankrupt.”

By: Adina Katz, World Israel News

American Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the US will veto a UN Security Council vote, scheduled for Friday afternoon at 3 o’clock, calling for an international protection force for the Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and east Jerusalem.

Kuwait called for the resolution in response to Haley’s original call to condemn Hamas for the ongoing violence in the areas surrounding the Israel-Gaza border.

At an emergency Security Council meeting on Wednesday, convened by Haley – following the heaviest bombing of southern Israel by Gaza-based terrorist groups since the 2014 summer war – the US introduced a measure to condemn Hamas, which rules the Strip.

The fact that it was blocked, Haley said the next day, is “outrageous,” adding that denunciation of Hamas should have been a “no-brainer.” She also slammed the Council for what she said was its “hypocrisy” and bias against Israel.

Instead, Kuwait’s UN Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi, the Council’s Arab representative, countered Haley’s proposal, claiming that “the Israeli occupation bears full responsibility for the latest escalation on our occupied land.”

“The United States will unquestionably veto Kuwait’s draft resolution,” Haley vowed on Thursday, calling it “a grossly one-sided approach that is morally bankrupt and would only serve to undermine ongoing efforts toward peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.”

“The resolution calls on Israel to immediately cease its actions in self-defense, but makes no mention of Hamas’ aggressive actions against Israeli security forces and civilians,” Haley continued.

It also “calls for immediate steps toward ending Israeli restrictions on access into Gaza, while making no mention of Egypt’s restrictions and no mention of Hamas’ deliberate attacks against Israel’s determined efforts to provide humanitarian access into Gaza at the Kerem Shalom crossing,” she said.

“Those who choose to vote in favor of this resolution will clarify their own lack of fitness to take part in any credible negotiations between the two parties,” she declared.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon called on the Council members not to support the resolution proposed by Kuwait.

“A biased resolution that condemns Israel yet fails to mention the terrorists of Hamas who are responsible for the violence against Israelis and Palestinians is not worthy of consideration by the Security Council,” Danon stated.  “I urge all members of the Council not to support this hypocritical resolution that denies Israel the basic right of defending its citizens, and instead to stand with the United States against the Hamas terrorists.”

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US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley blasted the UN Security Council on Wednesday for failing to condemn Hamas rocket attacks on Israel, accusing the international body of bias and hypocrisy.

The post WATCH: ‘Outrageous’ not to condemn Hamas, Haley says appeared first on World Israel News.