WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has taken "concrete steps" to deepen ties with Israel, and his UN envoy Nikki Haley has ended Israel-bashing in the world body, Vice President Mike Pence said today.
"President Trump has already taken concrete steps to deepen the ties between our two nations. And nowhere is that more evident than in the very body whose vote we commemorate today, the United Nations," Pence said in New York commemorating UN vote that established Israel.
Referring to Israel, Pence rued that the UN has today become a "forum for invective", something against which Former US President John F Kennedy warned the global body long ago.
"More than 50 years ago, President Kennedy warned that the United Nations must never be allowed to become, in his words, a 'forum for invective.' But today, sadly, with regard to Israel, too often it's become exactly that -- a forum for invective in the form of anti-Semitism and hatred," he said.
Pence, however, sounded confident in claiming that there was a changed scenario in the UN now with the efforts of President Trump and Ambassador Haley.
"But with the leadership of our President and the efforts of our UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, the days of Israel-bashing at the United Nations are over," he said amidst applause from the audience.
Within the Human Rights Council and across the United Nations, Haley has advanced reforms to put an end to the blatant bias and discrimination that was too often the reality in the recent past at the UN, Pence said.
Trump has withdrawn the United States from one of the UN's most anti-Israel bodies like the UNESCO, he added. Trump, he said, is working tirelessly to strengthen the historic friendship between the United States and Israel.
US' support for Israel's security is at a record level today, Pence claimed.
Reiterating Trump's stand on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Pence said that the US wants Israel to have peace.
"As the President has made clear, our administration is also committed to finally bringing peace to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. As President Trump has said, in his words: We want Israel to have peace. And in the recent months, we've made valuable progress toward achieving that noble goal," he said. The vice president said, "While compromise will be necessary, you can be assured President Donald Trump will never compromise the safety and security of the Jewish State of Israel." The President has made clear that under this administration, America once again stands with its allies and stands up to its enemies, he said.
The two nations stand together to confront any who dare to threaten us, most especially the menace of radical Islamic terror, Pence said.