Trump’s UN ambassador nominee sparks controversy over stance on Israel and Palestinian rights.
American President Donald Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations backed the idea on Tuesday of far-right Israeli officials who claim that Israel has a “biblical right” to the entire occupied West Bank.
At her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Chris Van Hollen asked Elise Stefanik whether she subscribed to the views of Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and former National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who believed that Israel has a “biblical right” to the entire West Bank, the Anadolu news agency reported.
Elise Stefanik, Donald Trump’s nominee for UN ambassador, refused to say whether Palestinians have a right to self-determination but stated that Israel has a biblical right to the entire occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/dOYj6wBTOx
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 21, 2025
“Yes!” Stefanik replied.
Trump’s plan for peace and stability in the region would be “very difficult to achieve … if you continue to hold the view that you just expressed,” Van Hollen shot back.
Palestinians’ Self-Determination
Stefanik repeatedly refused to say if Palestinians have the right to self-determination, the report added.
“I think President Trump is uniquely positioned at this very challenging moment to bring peace to the region, to eradicate terrorists of Hamas and Hezbollah, to protect Israel’s national security,” Stefanik said.
Donald Trump’s pick for UN Ambassador Elise Stefanik refused to answer ‘yes’ to the question ‘do Palestinians have the right to self-determination?’ and answered ‘yes’ to the question ‘does Israel have a biblical right to the entire West Bank?’ pic.twitter.com/zPbkX5dVFd
— Afshin Rattansi (@afshinrattansi) January 21, 2025
“If you look at the failures, we’ve given billions of dollars, and this is just the bilateral aid to the Palestinians, and it has been abused by Hamas,” she added.
Van Hollen reiterated his question. “Just was a very simple question. I just asking you, if you agree with the statement that in order to achieve long-term peace and stability in the Middle East, that we have to secure the human rights and rights of self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians. That’s a yes or no!”
Human Rights
Stefanik said she supports human rights for all, noted Anadolu.
“I think it’s a disgrace that Hamas and Hezbollah have stripped human rights of the Palestinian people. And we need to ensure that we are standing up for human rights, and Israel is standing up for human rights. It is a beacon of human rights in the region,” she reportedly said.
This is wild.
US Representative @RepStefanik was appointed to serve the American people. In the last month, she hasn’t tweeted a single time about issues that impact her constituents — only Israel and the hostages Israel refuses to do a deal for.
Why would anyone vote for this? pic.twitter.com/UEb4tCVC2r
— Tiberius (@ecomarxi) January 15, 2025
Van Hollen pressed. “I asked you in my office also about whether Palestinians have the right of self-determination. My understanding was, you said, ‘Yes.’ You have a different answer today.”
“I believe the Palestinian people deserve so much better than the failures that they’ve had,” Stefanik replied, sidestepping the question.
Settler Sanctions Lifted
On Monday, Trump rescinded an executive order by the Biden administration that imposed sanctions on extremist illegal Jewish settler groups and individuals in the occupied West Bank.
It was among 78 executive orders rescinded by Trump not long after he stepped into the Oval Office.
Trump Revokes Sanctions on Illegal Settlers amid Escalating West Bank Violence
Executive order 14115 titled “Imposing Certain Sanctions on Persons Undermining Peace, Security and Stability in the West Bank” targeted illegal settlers who committed “high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction,” the report added.
The order, signed by Biden on February 1, 2024, stated that illegal settler violence “undermines the foreign policy objectives of the United States, including the viability of a two-state solution and ensuring Israelis and Palestinians can attain equal measures of security, prosperity and freedom.”
Trump’s decision is a reversal of a major policy action by Biden resulting in these settlers’ US assets being frozen and barring Americans from dealing with them.
Settler Violence
The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday condemned Trump’s decision saying it “encourages settlers” in their violence.
“This decision encourages settlers to commit more crimes,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, said in a statement cited by Anadolu.
Qalqilia in West Bank today
Homes and properties of Palestinians were burnt by Israeli settlers
Trump has just lifted US sanctions against settlers attacking Palestinians
They agreed to Ceasefire in Gaza so they could start annexation and land grab in the West Bank pic.twitter.com/qvbY3Cr5gC
— Khalissee (@Kahlissee) January 21, 2025
He called on the new US administration to “intervene to stop these crimes and Israeli policies that will not bring peace and security to anyone.”
Since Sunday night, illegal settlers have increased their attacks on Palestinians and their properties across the West Bank, setting fire to homes, shops and vehicles.
In July last year, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
(Anadolu, PC)
This statement is erroneous, ridiculous and ignorant in all aspects. Zionism, the pillar of so called the state of israel, was non-religious(if not anti-religious) from the beginning and was purely political in both theory and practice. Herzl did not speak Hebrew, had no Jewish education and, in similar fashion to most Zionist leaders,was secular. At the time, most rabbis opposed him and the concept of Zionism. Hence, one of his most famous quote was “we need to keep our clergy within the confines of their temples.” Apparently, God for the zionists is just a real estate agent: they don’t follow his orders, but they believe he promised them the holy land.
Also, in Qur’an, Palestinians have the right to defend themselves and their land, which is also granted by the international law. As for the zionists’ rights, I find one of Norman Finkelstein’s quote is very relevant here: “The only right israelis have is to pack up and leave Palestine”.