President Donald Trump is committed to ongoing efforts to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, the U.S. ambassador to the UN said Friday amid a backlash over his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
"Let me again assure you, the president and this administration remain committed to the peace process," Ambassador Nikki Haley said at an emergency meeting of the Security Council that was convened over Trump's decision Wednesday.
She added that Trump, in his reversal of two decades of American foreign policy, was simply recognizing reality, since the Israeli government and parliament are located in Jerusalem.
Haley recalled that Trump insists his decision has no impact on whatever Israelis and Palestinians ultimately decide on boundaries and borders of the Holy City, the eastern part of which the Palestinians want as capital of a future state.
"I understand the concerns that members have in calling this session," Haley said. "Change is hard."
However, she stressed, "The United States has credibility with both sides. Israel will never be, and should never be, bullied into an agreement by the United Nations, or by any collection of countries that have proven their disregard for Israel's security.”
Haley added the UN has done "much more to damage the prospects for Middle East peace than to advance them."
"We will not be a party to that. The United States no longer stands by when Israel is unfairly attacked in the United Nations. And the United States will not be lectured to by countries that lack any credibility when it comes to treating both Israelis and Palestinians fairly,” she stressed.
Haley further noted that Trump and his administration remain committed to the two-state solution, as long as that’s what the sides agree on. The Jerusalem decision doesn't change this, she stressed.
Friday’s session of the Security Council was convened at the request of France, Bolivia, Egypt, Italy, Senegal, Sweden, Britain and Uruguay following Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Prior to the session, the Palestinian Authority (PA) lodged a complaint at the Security Council against the United States, demanding that the body declare Trump's decision to be against international law and to work toward reversing it.
(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)