Nikki Haley Stands Up for America

Yesterday at the United Nations Security Council, American Ambassador Nikki Haley did the nearly unthinkable: she stood, tall and proud, for the United States.

Her words are worth quoting:

Rather, what is troublesome to some people is that the United States had the courage and honesty to recognize a fundamental reality. Jerusalem has been the political, cultural, and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people for thousands of years. They have had no other capital city. But the United States’ recognition of the obvious – that Jerusalem is the capital and seat of the modern Israeli government – is too much for some.

This is not about nationalism; it’s about sovereignty. It’s about an international organization presuming to tell the United States how to conduct its diplomatic affairs. And its about trendy internationalists defending the Palestinian cause... and Palestinian terrorism. Unfortunately, the Obama administration gave the world the impression that the United States had lost its national pride:

Now today, buried in diplomatic jargon, some presume to tell America where to put our embassy. The United States’ has a sovereign right to determine where and whether we establish an embassy. I suspect very few Member States would welcome Security Council pronouncements about their sovereign decisions. And I think of some who should fear it.

Haley continued:

What we witnessed here today in the Security Council is an insult. It won’t be forgotten. It’s one more example of the United Nations doing more harm than good in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Today, for the simple act of deciding where to put our embassy, the United States was forced to defend its sovereignty. The record will reflect that we did so proudly. Today, for acknowledging a basic truth about the capital city of Israel, we are accused of harming peace. The record will reflect that we reject that outrageous claim.

For these reasons, and with the best interests of both the Israeli and the Palestinian people firmly in mind, the United States votes no on this resolution.

Cheers for Ambassador Haley.