Former Republican presidential candidate and US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley has been criticised after she wrote “Finish them!” on an artillery shell in northern Israel this week.
A photo of Haley in front of pallets of shells was shared on X/Twitter by Danny Danon, Israel’s former ambassador to the UN and a member of the Knesset.
In one image, Haley’s signed message could be seen: “Finish them – America HEART Israel, Always.”
“This is what my friend, the former ambassador Nikki Haley, wrote today on a shell during a visit to an artillery post on the northern border,” Danon wrote, adding, “The IDF will win!”
A former UN ambassador during the Trump administration, Haley is a long-standing supporter of Israel.
She abandoned her bid for the Republican presidential nomination in March and praised Donald Trump last week. She said she would vote for the Republican choice despite previously calling him “dangerous”.
Danny Danon and Nikki Haley toured the northern border of Israel where fighting has been escalating between Hezbollah and the IDF (Photo: X)
On Wednesday, she shared photos of her visit to the devastated communities in southern Israel.
She tweeted: “Israel did not start this war — Hamas did. Families in southern Israel awoke on October 7, as 3,000 Hamas fighters brutalized Israelis. Thousands of Palestinian civilians followed joining in the destruction, looting, and violence.
“When Hamas promises they will do it again, Israel should believe them. Israel must do whatever is necessary to protect her people from evil. Americans must remember that when Iran and Hamas chant “Death to Israel” they also promise “Death to America”. Israel is fighting America’s enemies.”
Haley’s visit came days after Israel drew condemnation for a strike near a Rafah displaced persons camp that killed dozens of Gazans and her message on the bomb was quickly criticised by human rights groups and media outlets.
Amnesty International reacted to Haley’s act on Wednesday, writing on X, “Conflict is no place for stunts. Conflict has rules. Civilians must be protected,”
The Guardian titled an opinion piece on the incident, “Why is Nikki Haley scrawling genocidal messages on Israeli bombs?”