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Edited by: TJVNews.com
Former South Carolina Governor and ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has recently announced her candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. With a strong alliance to former President Donald Trump, Haley has emerged as a prominent figure within the Republican Party, gaining attention for her unwavering support for Israel and the bilateral relationship with the United States.
Announcing her intention to run in February at an event in the historic coastal city of Charleston, Haley said she would “stand by our friends Israel and Ukraine against Iran and Russia,” as was reported by the Times of Israel.
“I don’t believe in glass ceilings,” Haley said, continuing: “We need to create a country where anyone can do whatever they want.” “May the best woman win,” she declared in front of cheering supporters, as was reported by the TOI.
She added that, “I stand before you as the daughter of immigrants, as the wife of a combat veteran, and the mom of two amazing children. I’ve served as governor of the great state of South Carolina and as America’s ambassador to the UN. Above all else, I’m a grateful American citizen who knows our best days are yet to come, if we unite and fight to save our country. I have devoted my life to this fight—and I’m just getting started. For a strong America. For a proud America. I am running for President of the United States of America!”
In her campaign video released in February, Haley also said, “We turned away from fear toward God and the values that still make our country the freest and greatest in the world.” She described her 2015 decision to remove Confederate flags from state properties after a racist gunman murdered nine Black worshippers in a Charleston church. “We must turn in that direction again. Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven out of the last eight presidential elections. That has to change,” she said, as was reported by Haaretz.
Despite South Carolina’s relatively small Jewish population, Haley prioritized passing landmark legislation related to Israel. One of the key bills she supported, initiated by State Representative Alan Clemmons, aimed to ban businesses that boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel from operating in South Carolina. The bill received widespread support and was swiftly signed into law, making South Carolina the first state to enact such legislation. Many other states followed suit, bolstering Haley’s reputation as a strong advocate for Israel.
Haley’s unwavering support for Israel garnered praise from influential Republican figures and Israeli diplomats. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham referred to Haley as a “strong supporter of the State of Israel” and believed her presence as ambassador would reassure those concerned about the United Nations’ hostility towards Israel. The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations at the time, Danny Danon, hailed Haley as a “true friend of Israel” for her efforts in combatting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and her staunch defense of Israel’s interests.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Danon said at the time that he recalled hosting Haley for Shabbat dinner at his house.
“We spoke about politics and I told her about the difficulties of running a campaign in Israel. She told me that she never lost a campaign. We know that she is facing very interesting challenges ahead,” he said.
He added that, “We will always remember what she did at the UN when she stood with me against evil — when she put moral clarity in the front lines of the UN.”
During her tenure as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Haley continued to champion Israel’s cause on the international stage. She consistently criticized the United Nations for its biased treatment of Israel, citing the disproportionate number of resolutions against Israel compared to other nations. Haley vehemently opposed U.N. Resolution 2334, which deemed Israel’s settlements as illegal and violations of international law. She openly voiced her disapproval of the resolution and pledged to never abstain when the United Nations took actions conflicting with U.S. interests and values.
Haley dedicated significant efforts to strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship. She spoke at the 2017 AIPAC Policy Conference, highlighting the cultural similarities between her Indian heritage and Israeli culture. Haley emphasized the shared values of family, resilience, and determination. In addition, she expressed support for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocating the U.S. embassy there, a decision President Trump officially implemented in December 2017. Haley’s strong stance on Jerusalem resonated with pro-Israel supporters who valued her commitment to advancing the U.S.-Israel alliance.
Haley went beyond rhetorical support for Israel and actively sought to change aspects of the United Nations’ budgeting. Following the General Assembly’s rejection of President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the United States negotiated a $285 million reduction in funding to the United Nations. Haley also proposed a broader reassessment of foreign assistance to countries that opposed U.S. policies. She criticized the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), which allegedly provides aid to Palestinian refugees, considering it one of the most corrupt and counterproductive UN agencies.
UNRWA run refugee “camps” perpetuate enmity towards Israel. Confrontation with Israel is taught in their schools which have adopted the anti-Israel curriculum of the Palestinian Authority in violation of UN principles of peace and reconciliation. UNRWA school textbooks contain many examples of indoctrination against Israel and also contain veneration of terrorists.
The Forward reported that Haley also blocked the appointment of former Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad as a U.N. envoy to Libya. She spearheaded the U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council, a move that was welcomed in Israel given the council’s frequent criticism of the Jewish state. After 128 nations voted to reject Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Haley hosted a reception for the countries that voted against the resolution or abstained, as was reported by the Forward.
Haley consistently opposed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that was initiated by former President Barak Obama. Many have called it his signature foreign policy accomplishment while others have labeled it his biggest and most dangerous folly. She argued that the United States “should align itself with agreements celebrated in Israel and protested in Iran, not the other way around.”
While Haley had some disagreements with former Trump cabinet officials such as then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and General Jim Mattis who offered assertions that Iran complied with the agreement, Haley’a position was that the deal would significantly decrease America’s security. She welcomed Trump’s decision to abrogate the ill conceived deal with the rogue regime in Iran.
In 2021, she called Iran the “sugar daddy of Hamas” and criticized AIPAC for keeping ties to Democrats who strongly supported the deal.
The Forward reported that Charles Kushner, father of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, hosted a fundraiser for Haley last year and that Haley’s longtime advisor, Jon Lerner, who is Jewish, is expected to take a leading role in her campaign.
The February report in the Forward also said that Haley recently hired Nachama Soloveichik, a conservative political consultant, to lead her communications team. She is a scion of the distinguished Soloveichik Orthodox rabbinical lineage, and sister of Rabbi Meir Soloveichik.
Haley’s Extraordinary Background. Go to the original document that I sent you and you will see that those words are in bold type.
Nikki Haley was born Nimarata Nikki Randhawa on January 20, 1972, at Bamberg County Hospital in Bamberg, South Carolina, to immigrant Sikh parents from Punjab, India, as was reported by Wikipedia. Her father, Ajit Singh Randhawa, and her mother, Raj Kaur Randhawa, immigrated to the United States from Amritsar District, Punjab, India. Her father had been a professor at Punjab Agricultural University, and her mother received her law degree from the University of Delhi. Wikipedia reported thatHaley has been known by her middle name, Nikki, a Punjabi name meaning “little one”, since her earliest years.
Haley’s parents moved to Canada after her father received a scholarship offer from the University of British Columbia. When her father received his PhD in 1969, he moved his family to South Carolina to be a professor at Voorhees College, a historically black institution, according to the Wikipedia report.
Her mother, Raj Randhawa, earned a master’s degree in education and taught for seven years in Bamberg public schools. In 1976 she started a popular clothing boutique, Exotica International, according to the Wikipedia report.
At age 12, Haley began helping with the bookkeeping in her mother’s ladies’ clothing shop. In 1989, she graduated from the private Orangeburg Preparatory Schools and then attended Clemson University. In 1994, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
Wikipedia also reported that in 1998, Haley was named to the board of directors of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce. In 2003, she was named to the board of directors of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce and became treasurer of the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2003, and president in 2004.
In 2004, Haley ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 87 in Lexington County, Wikipedia reported. She challenged incumbent state representative Larry Koon in the Republican primary. He was the longest-serving legislator in the South Carolina Statehouse at the time. Her platform included property tax relief and education reform.
In the primary election, she forced a runoff as Koon did not win a majority but rather 42% of the vote, while she placed second with 40% of the vote. Wikipedia also reported that in the runoff, she defeated him 55–45%. She ran unopposed in the general election.
Haley became the first Indian-American to hold office in South Carolina. Wikipedia reported that she was unopposed for re-election to a second term in 2006. In 2008, she won re-election to a third term, defeating Democrat Edgar Gomez 83–17.
On May 14, 2009, Haley announced that she would run for the Republican nomination for governor of South Carolina in the 2010 elections. Wikipedia reported that Haley had been persuaded to run by incumbent governor and fellow Republican Mark Sanford. The Republican gubernatorial primary took place on June 8, 2010, and Haley captured 49% of the vote, forcing a runoff election on June 22, Wikipedia reported. Haley won handily in the runoff vote.
Haley was elected governor on November 2, 2010, defeating the Democratic candidate, Vincent Sheheen 51% to 47%. She is considered the third non-white governor elected by a Southern state, after Virginia’s Douglas Wilder and Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal, the Wikipedia report said.
