Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley in New York Thursday, following Netanyahu’s visit to Washington earlier this week, where he met with President Donald Trump and gave the headline address at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Haley for her efforts and the work of the Trump administration to combat anti-Israel sentiment at the UN.
“Everything is fine and you’re making it better,” Netanyahu said.
“I wanted to tell you how much we appreciate the defense of Israel and the truth that the president and you bring into these cloistered halls that are so damp with anti-Israel venom,” Netanyahu said of the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, calling the Trump administration’s attempts to change UN behavior vis-à-vis the Jewish state “a tsunami of fresh air.”
Haley accused the United Nations of “abusive” treatment of Israel, but said she was optimistic about the possibility for change, noting that the tone had already softened.
“Really, it was just abusive before,” said Haley, adding that she “felt bad” for Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon “and what he had to put up with”.
“It was really abusive before, but it’s actually starting to get a little bit better.”
Turning to Iran, the US Ambassador said she was “concerned” about Israel in the face of Iran’s increasingly aggressive behavior, hinting at the possibility of a wider conflict between Israel and Tehran.
“Iran is a big focus right now. We’re very concerned – I’m very concerned for Israel. I think that they’re feeling more and more threatened, and think that you’re going to have to make some tough decisions and they [Iran] won’t make the right ones. That’s something that we’re very focus on.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed his recent meeting with President Trump, saying that the president was “completely focused” on the threat posed by Tehran.
“I think he’s completely focused on the danger of Iran, and the nuclear deal, and Iran’s aggression in the region.”
“This is what animates everyone right now. Not just Israel and America, but just about everybody else in the Middle East.”