Former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Monday continued her visit to Israel together with Evangelical leader Pastor John Hagee, a day after touring Israel's southern communities hard-hit by rockets.

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Hagee, the founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel, is on a solidarity mission to the Jewish state in the wake of the recent 11-day war with Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

Addressing the inauguration of Israel's new government, Haley said that along with a debt of gratitude owed to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "We want to congratulate [Prime Minister Naftali] Bennett and let him know that it doesn't matter who the leader of Israel is, it matters that America stands with her regardless."

"President Joe Biden will be making a mistake if he doesn't continue to build on the back of what his predecessor, President Trump, achieved, whether this is the transfer of the US Embassy [to Jerusalem], cutting off funding to UNRWA, the Abraham Accords – everything was going in the right direction," she said during a conversation with reporters from her Jerusalem hotel.

The former governor of South Carolina, who is expected by many to run in the Republican primaries ahead of the 2024 presidential election, warned that this progress could be reversed due to Biden's policies in the region.

"You cannot be friends with Israel, and you cannot say thank you to the Arab countries who want to be friends with Israel, by getting back into the Iran deal," she said. "It's a big slap to the face – and I think actions speak louder than words and the idea that he is falling over himself to get back into the Iran deal is pretty disgusting," she added.

"The idea right now that you have multiple countries around the world, including the United States, looking to figure out how to redo this Iran deal is nothing more than a death wish for Israel and eventually a death wish for the world," she said.

"Iran is never going to change its ways," she said. "It is never going to stop saying death to Israel. It is never going to stop saying death to America. And the only way that we can effect change is to pull the money back and pull the purse strings back. If you fund Iran, you are funding terrorists that want to kill Israel," she added.

Hagee, whose organization describes itself as the largest pro-Israel organization in the US and has over 10 million members, said he has noticed that Israelis are aware of the massive support they have from Christian Americans.

"You can rest assured that all the millions [of people] in our organization support Israel, and mean every word of their support," he said.

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Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley joined Evangelical leader Pastor John Hagee, the founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel, on a solidarity mission to the Jewish state over the weekend.

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The CUFI delegation said on its website last week that it would visit communities "impacted by the recent fighting between Hamas and Israel, meet with leaders representing various viewpoints across the Israeli political spectrum, and visit several holy sites in Jerusalem."

Haley, who is expected by many to run in the Republican primaries ahead of the 2024 presidential election, said on Sunday from southern Israel that "Israelis have the right to feel safe and defend themselves. We're not going to let this go. We will make sure that we're loud about what the root cause of this is. Israelis deserve to be safe in their home."

Video: Yaniv Zohar

She added: "If you had 4,500 rockets that went into [Washington] D.C., if any of our allies said we need restraint on both sides, we wouldn't be appreciative of that. This is a civilian area; where is the [UN] Security Council, where is every government that believes in democracy and freedom? Any country that believes that we need to get rid of terrorist organizations around the world" should be asking what they did to help Israel.

"I'm angry," she added. "This shows you what Hamas is trying to do. To kill civilians and Israelis are trying to defend themselves. Any dollar that goes to Gaza and Hamas, this is what they will use their dollars for. The idea that Israelis have to defend themselves over and over while a terrorist organization lies free and is able to attack innocent civilians like the Holocaust survivor that lived here is unacceptable and the world needs to respond to this. It shouldn't be Israel fighting alone. It should always be that the world is united against any terrorist organization. Tell me where there is a government office here; show me an Israeli government official. This was them trying to hurt the heart of Israel."

Hagee also voiced his unreserved support for the Jewish state.

"Five-thousand rockets. This reign [sic] of terror is made possible by Iran. Hamas is a terrorist organization. Anytime America gives money to Iran, Iran will take that money and make rockets and give them to Hamas so that rockets can fall on Israel. We need to be very cautious about our relationship with Iran and we need to stand by Israel in a more definitive and forceful way so that this nation can protect its citizens from the evil empire of Iran," he said.

On Saturday, the former governor of South Carolina prayed at the Western Wall in Jerusalem and wrote on Twitter: "No matter the challenges, the people of Israel always celebrate life and thank God for their blessings. It's humbling to join them again in prayer at such a holy place."

No matter the challenges, the people of Israel always celebrate life and thank God for their blessings. It's humbling to join them again in prayer at such a holy place. pic.twitter.com/XGCtb2aFhG

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) June 12, 2021

Haley added: "In a world where antisemitism is on the rise and there are growing calls for Israel's destruction … it's an honor to join CUFI's solidarity mission with Israel and her people."

Christians United for Israel describes itself as the largest pro-Israel organization in the US. It has over 10 million members and is a significant force in the Conservative-Christian camp in the US.

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Republican leaders in recent days have been finalizing the wording of the announcement, which is expected to comprehensively support Israel's right to pursue its own interests in accordance with the Trump administration's plan for Middle East peace.

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Also on Sunday, prominent Evangelist leader, Pastor John Hagee, issued a similar message in an op-ed appearing on Haaretz's website in English. In the article, Hagee writes: "From a Biblical, historical and legal perspective, Israel owns, and does not occupy, the Holy Land. And one cannot be an occupier on land it owns. Nevertheless, an all or nothing approach – as the Palestinian leadership insists upon – often results in getting nothing at all. It is therefore unsurprising that since its founding, Israel has repeatedly offered to make painful compromises in pursuit of peace with its neighbors to no avail."

For these reasons, Hagee concludes, Israel has full sovereignty rights, which he and his followers support.

"With all of this in mind, [Christians United for Israel] and its more than eight million members, supported and continues to support the Trump peace proposal in its entirety. This includes Israel's exercising its sovereignty over portions of Judea and Samaria and once again offering the Palestinians an opportunity to have a prosperous and independent existence," Hagee writes.

The United Nations Security Council, meanwhile, will convene on Wednesday, June 24, to discuss the situation in the Middle East and the possibility that Israel will expand its sovereignty under the auspices of the Trump plan. Israeli and Palestinian representatives were invited to present their positions on the matter.

Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told Israel Hayom that he intends to tell the Council that the Israeli government "has the legitimate right to make the right decisions for Israel."

"We are engaged in continuous dialogue with the international community, but it's important to note and make clear that any decision pertaining to sovereignty will be made within the Israeli government and nowhere else. It would be more fitting for the criticism to be pointed at the Palestinian Authority's leadership, which continues to object to direct dialogue with Israel," Danon added.

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