TRUMP’S UN AMBASSADOR BLASTS WORLD BODY’S ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS:

President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, blasted the global body over its treatment of Israel at her Senate confirmation hearing, on Wed. 18 Jan. 2017. "Nowhere has the UN’s failure been more consistent and more outrageous than in its bias against our close ally Israel," Haley said in the opening remarks before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Any honest assessment also finds an institution that is often at odds with American national interests and American taxpayers." Noting that the United States contributes 22 percent of the UN budget, far more than any other country, Haley said, "Are we getting what we pay for?" She also promised to work with USA lawmakers to pursue what she described as "seriously needed change" at the United Nations. The UN’s anti-Israel bias is well-known and was even acknowledged by its former Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, before he stepped down at the beginning of this month. Haley’s hearing came weeks after the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2334 which was critical of Israel’s presence in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. Some Republican lawmakers, led by South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, have threatened to cut USA funding for the UN following the anti-Israel resolution. (Reuters)