The “new sheriff in town” is, much to our dismay, getting out of Dodge City.
Indeed, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, announced Tuesday she will be leaving her post at year’s end.
That has left those of us who wake up each day with Israel on our minds shocked and saddened.
In her short tenure as U.N. ambassador, Haley has left no doubt of the Trump administration’s unwavering support of Israel, whether through the embassy move to Jerusalem or by standing up and verbally chastising Iran and other rogue nations supporting terrorism.
The former South Carolina governor spoke a language that was rare in the U.N., boldly recognizing that the Kotel belongs to Israel not long after the Obama administration’s envoy voted to abstain in a vote condemning Israel’s West Bank settlements.
History will remember this Indian-American who lobbied hard and convinced 64 nations to either veto or abstain in the UN General Assembly on a vote condemning the move of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. She then made us all smile by inviting those same 64 nations to a party afterward.
Also important was her insistence to pull U.S. funding from UNRWA, to the tune of over $300 million, until the international body understands that Palestinian refugees number perhaps 500,000, not five million.
It was at the 2017 AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., that Haley, relatively new to her position, brought 18,000 people to their feet when she made the sheriff analogy in reference to the United Nations.
We will miss “Sheriff Haley” in her role at the U.N., and we hope she has a future position that keeps her voice as a defender of Israel vibrant and vital.
We also hope and pray that the Trump administration will fill the position with Israel’s interests high on the list of our nation’s priorities.