Nikki Haley, former candidate for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party who served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, visited the West Bank and northern Israel on Tuesday. "Don't listen to what is being said in the media. I reassure you: America stands with Israel," she said while visiting the West Bank.
Haley, who withdrew from the Republican primary race against Donald Trump and recently said she would support him against President Joe Biden, said she wanted to "express solidarity with Israel. These words are aimed at the Israelis but also at the Americans. We need a strong Israel, and the only way Israel will be strong is when the US supports Israel completely, unapologetically."
Haley, who visited the Gaza border area on Monday, pointed out two things that are needed immediately" the return of the hostages and to assure Israel's safety. "We will always be friends of Israel. Be strong, stay full of hope and keep the faith - and let's continue to be partners together."
Haley toured the West Bank as a guest of the head of the Samaria Council, Yossi Dagan, accompanied by t former ambassador to the UN and member of Knesset Danny Danon.
"Haley and Trump are true friends of Israel, the State of Israel cannot be defended without Samaria," Dagan said. Dagan publicly supported Trump in the 2016 elections and subsequently was invited to his inauguration and met with senior government officials during his tenure.
On a tour in northern Israel, Haley visited Rosh Hanikra and also visited an IDF artillery battery, where she signed the words "Finish Them" on a shell.
"We came in the past, we looked at the border and warned about the threat of Hezbollah and that everything we warned about could happen and continues to happen. All eyes should be on Lebanon, we are talking about Gaza, but in the north Israel has to repel attacks from Lebanon every day," Haley said. "Sixty thousand people were driven from their homes because the region is not safe for them. Israel needs to take care of not only Hamas, but also Hezbollah."
"No war is good, but who started it? Hamas started it. Iran finances it. Where is the world? Israel needs to do what it needs to defend itself. America stands by Israel and needs to back her because Israel needs to defeat her enemies," she added.
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Nikki Haley with Yossi Dagan and Danny Dannon in the West Bank settlement of Peduel
(Photo: Roi Hadi)
Danon described his visit with his former UN colleague. "We toured the north together, we visited the people that remain here. My message is very clear: We must change the reality today on the northern border. Those who stayed here live in a way that cannot continue, therefore the Israeli government must take action, take significant steps in order to restore security here in the north, and allow the residents to return," he said.
"We will win this war because we have no other choice, with the U.S. or without the U.S. We share the same values. Nikki Haley represents most of the positions of Americans who support Israel. Our determination should not lie with anyone else," he said.