Following a speech by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas at the UN Security Council on Tuesday, US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, delivered a strong message stating, “I will decline the advice I was recently given by your top negotiator Saeb Erekat. I will not shut up. Rather, I will respectfully speak some hard truths.”
“The United States stands ready to work with the Palestinian leadership,” Haley remarked, addressing Abbas, who had left the UNSC session after his own speech. “Our negotiators are sitting right behind me, ready to talk. But we will not chase after you. The choice, Mr. President, is yours.”
Haley did not mince words, contrasting the various approaches available to the Palestinians, with “absolutist demands, hateful rhetoric, and incitement to violence” representing one path and “negotiation and compromise” representing a different approach.
“You can choose to denounce the United States, reject its role in peace talks, and pursue punitive measures against Israel in international forums like the UN. I assure that path will get the Palestinian people exactly nowhere toward the achievement of their aspirations,” she warned. “Or you can choose to put aside your anger about the location of our embassy and move forward with us toward a negotiated compromise that holds great potential for improving the lives of the Palestinian people.”
After Abbas’s speech, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon addressed the PA leader, who chose not to remain in the meeting, and stated, “You have made it clear, with your words and with your actions, that you are no longer part of the solution. You are the problem.”
