Nikki Haley tells Palestinian leadership ‘I will not shut up’

More rhetorical fighting between the Trump administration and frustrated Palestinian leadership

America’s ambassador to the United Nations has fired back at a top Palestinian official who suggested she should “shut up” after she criticised Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

“I will not shut up,” Nikki Haley said during a speech at the United Nations, claiming that she was speaking some “hard truths” about the Palestinian attitude to working towards a peace deal with Israel.

“There is the path of absolutist demands, hateful rhetoric and incitement to violence. That path has led and will continue to lead to nothing but hardship for the Palestinian people,” she said.

Ms Haley was responding to comments from top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in which he assailed Ms Haley’s criticism of Mr Abbas.

“Nikki Haley needs to shut up and realise that the Palestinian leadership is not the problem,” Mr Erekat said in an interview with website Al-Watan Voice.

The verbal skirmishing reflects deteriorating US-Palestinian relations since Donald Trump chose to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, drawing global rebukes — including a UN resolution blasting the move — and prompting Mr Erekat to declare that “the two-state solution is over”.

Facing a broad backlash over the Jerusalem decision, the Trump administration has responded by threatening punitive measures against the Palestinians.

Both Donald Trump and Ms Haley have floated the idea of cutting off aid to the Palestinians. The State Department announced in January it would withhold about $65m (£46.6m) in assistance to the UN Relief and Welfare Agency, which supports Palestinian refugees.