Trump nominee for UN ambassador: ‘Israel will have no stronger ally’

Kelly Craft said there will be no stronger ally for Israel at the U.N. than herself.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

“There will be no stronger ally than Kelly Craft for Israel on behalf of the United States,” U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.N. ambassador said at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday.

Craft, who currently serves as U.S. ambassador to Canada, is Trump’s pick to replace Nikki Haley, who served for roughly two years at the U.N. post before stepping down on Dec. 31.

Haley built a reputation as a staunch defender of Israel at the international body known for its bias against the Jewish state. She repeatedly defended America’s ally at the U.N., leading the U.S. out of the U.N. Human Rights Council, which she called “a cesspool of political bias” against Israel.

She eloquently defended the U.S. decision to cut funding to UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which she described as “a political arm that claims to serve Palestinians.”

In one of her final acts, Haley orchestrated a campaign to pass a resolution condemning the terror group Hamas, which would have been a first at the U.N. While the resolution did muster a majority of 87 votes to 57 against and 33 abstaining, it did not pass as it needed a two-thirds majority.

It appears that Craft intends to follow the same path.

“Without US leadership, our partners and allies would be vulnerable to bad actors at the U.N.,” she said at the hearing.

“This is particularly true in the case of Israel, which is the subject of unrelenting bias and hostility in U.N. venues. The United States will never accept such bias. And if confirmed, I commit to seizing every opportunity to shine a light on this conduct, call it what it is and demand that these outrageous practices finally come to an end,” she said.

In 2018, 21 of 27 U.N. condemnations were against Israel. In contrast, Russia, Iran, the U.S., Myanmar, North Korea and Syria received one each.

Craft is an important donor to the Republican party from Kentucky.

Democrats at the hearing attempted to paint Craft as too inexperienced for such a high-profile position. Republicans said she already gained the requisite experience in her two years as U.S. ambassador to Canada, one of the largest and most important U.S. allies.