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Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, recently alluded to a possible candidacy in the next presidential election. During a speech last Monday at the Christians United for Israel CUFI’s 17th annual Summit in Washington, Haley said in the large event named “Night to Honor Israel” that sometimes it takes a woman to get things on track. Meanwhile, a crowd cheered her on.
Haley noted that if it ever looks like Iran is getting to a nuclear weapon, we must act, and we must act swiftly and decisively. Our national and world security depend on keeping the bomb away from Iran, and if America won’t, then Israel must, and we should help them. The Christian Zionist movement, an advocate of the Israeli cause, is stronger and more militant than the American Jewish community. It has more than 60 million followers.
Haley firmly stressed that if Biden signs any kind of nuclear deal, the next president will shred it up on his first day in office.
At a minimum, Haley asserted: that it is necessary to give Israel everything it needs to defend and destroy the Islamic nuclear program. Haley criticized the Biden administration for its effort to negotiate with Iran and reach a compromise with the regime on nuclear weapons.
Everyone knows what Iran wants, she explained with total clarity. It wants nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to carry those nuclear weapons and use those missiles and nukes to destroy Israel, Europe, and America. According to Haley, the president “is desperate” to get back into the Iran nuclear deal.
Criticism of Biden
American weakness “led to the invasion of Ukraine.” In her view, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China were emboldened by perceived American weakness after its disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
When America is weak, evil reigns, Haley pointed out. If the U.S. had not failed “so miserably” in Afghanistan, there would never have been a war in Ukraine.
Early in her speech, Haley moved from a dialogue about Israel to “another nation in our hearts,” Ukraine. She criticized Moscow for its brutal conduct in the war, such as deporting children to Russia and killing entire families.
Nikki Haley, a highly respected politician, praised Israel for being a haven for thousands of Ukrainians —Jews and Christians — fleeing the war.
Haley also questioned Joe Biden’s conduct during his recent trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia. She said he was insufficiently willing to the idea that Washington would use military force against Iran to prevent the regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon if diplomacy failed, as all indications seem to suggest. She stated that the president sounded like a bluff and was embarrassing.
The former South Carolina governor denounced the decision to give financial aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA)— the autonomous government that controls Arab-populated areas in Judea and Samaria (West Bank). This dictatorship uses American tax dollars to attack civilians of a democratic ally. She indicated that most of the monetary aid would go to straight-up anti-Semitic terrorist front group UNRWA, which she described as one of the worst branches of the UN. Haley reminded the conference that she had convinced former President Donald Trump to defund UNRWA and called to disassociate from it.
The power of CUFI
CUFI‘s 17th Annual Washington Summit in Washington featured several high-profile American and Israeli speakers in addition to Haley. CUFI pastor and founder John Hagee; and Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Herzog, spoke at the event. Bahrain’s ambassador to Washington, Abdulla Bin Rashid, and Defense Minister, Benny Gantz, sent recorded messages played at the conference. CUFI exceeds 10 million active members and is the leading Christian Zionist organization. Its mission is to educate and advocate the cause of Israel and its friendship with the Jewish people.
In one survey, the Pew Research Center showed that 72% of evangelical Christians sympathize with Israel; and 64% said it should be supported if it attacks Iranian nuclear facilities.
Another Pew survey from 2021 found that 24% of U.S. adults describe themselves as evangelical. The same year, a Gallup study found that 36% of the over-age public —12 points higher than Pew’s data— identifies as evangelical Christian.
If Haley were to join the race for the Republican nomination for president in 2024, she would compete with popular candidates such as Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Her image of honesty, work capacity, and personal prestige give her a good chance.
Eduardo Zalovich, Uruguayan-Israeli, is a history professor and journalist. He has written for several media, such as La Vanguardia, El Confidencial, Vozpopuli, Búsqueda and Correo de los Viernes. Zalovich analyzes, from the Middle East, the reality of the region and international politics. // Eduardo Zalovich, uruguayo-israelí, es profesor de Historia y periodista. Ha escrito para varios medios, como La Vanguardia, El Confidencial, Vozpopuli, Búsqueda y Correo de los Viernes. Analiza, desde el Medio Oriente, la realidad de la zona y la política internacional.