In a fiery press conference in Sderot Monday following a tour of the Gaza border region, former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley lambasted the Biden administration's policies towards Israel and Hamas, saying at a time of need, the Biden administration must not withhold weapon shipments or support the efforts to besmirch it in international court.
Video: Nikki Haley tours the south on May 27, 2024 / Moshe Ben Simchon
"Israel is fighting America's enemies, and it has an obligation to veto any resolution related to the court in The Hague. It is sickening to speak of Israel and Hamas on the same level. One must not remain silent when dealing with a murderer," she added, reflecting on the tour she got where she got a first-hand look at the brutal atrocities committed by the terrorist organization in the Gaza communities on Oct. 7.
"This is hallowed ground. We want to see an unshakeable alliance between the US and Israel. What happened on Oct. 7 was pure evil. I visited a kibbutz that is like a family," she said. "We saw homes utterly destroyed in a complete nightmare. I saw families trying to protect their lives, their children, their grandparents. They tried to hold the doors against the terrorists. People were burned alive. Women were raped. Children were killed. House after house. They knew who would be in the homes. It was all meticulously planned. I thought of my own children who could have been at the Nova festival [where hundreds of revelers were slaughtered on Oct. 7]."
She recounted her tour of the border area and Sderot, saying: "We heard one survivor who chose to speak because people are denying what happened. She heard rape; she heard screams and then gunshots, and then silence. For hours, over and over again. That will be her life. I was in the room with the lookouts. They were told they would be raped and become pregnant." Haley, who recently dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and just last week said she would vote for the presumptive Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump, said, "The last thing Israel needs is pressure from friends."
She said that Israelis should "not listen to media bytes" because "America is with you. Americans are with you. We are connected to you. And what happened on October 7 hurt us all. It's still personal – 1200 people were brutally murdered; 32 of them were Americans. Eight American hostages. But those numbers blend because we're all together in this."
She added a warning, "Let's not forget what happened on Oct. 7. Let's not close it out of our minds because Hamas has said they're going to do it again. We owe it to make sure it never happens again," and vowed, "I want to know how we can secure the people of Israel and make sure it never happens again – there are two goals – get every single hostage home and make sure Israelis never have to fear their security."
"And so to my Israeli brothers and sisters, what I say to you is we hear you. We see you, we hurt with you, and we mourn every single life that's been lost," she said. "For those families who have hostages that have been taken, we won't stop praying or fighting until we see every one of them come home and get their bodies back if they're not still with us because every family deserves that."
The former ambassador launched a blistering attack on the Palestinians as well, stating, "There is a whole generation of Palestinians raised under terrorist organizations who also say 'Death to America.'" She claimed recognizing a Palestinian state was a prize to Hamas and asserted, "The war would have ended if America did what it needed to do."
Joining Haley were Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi, who said, "The Israeli people must know the war will continue until Hamas is destroyed," and former Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon. Danon said he and Haley had previously tried to pass an anti-Hamas resolution, warning, "If we don't eliminate Hamas, they will return to our homes again and again."
