Nikki Haley, the former US presidential hopeful, is facing flak from pro-Palestine supporters for writing “Finish Them” on an Israeli shell during a visit to locations near the northern border with Lebanon.
Social media users on X were not pleased after a photo, shared by a member of the Israeli parliament and former ambassador to the United Nations, showed the Indian American kneeling and writing on the shell with a purple marker.
Finish them!זה מה שכתבה היום חברתי, השגרירה לשעבר, ניקי היילי על פגז במהלך ביקור במוצב של תותחנים בגבול הצפון.
הגיע הזמן לשינוי משוואה – תושבי צור וצידון יתפנו, תושבי הצפון יחזרו.
צה”ל יכול לנצח! pic.twitter.com/qvLNCXPl7o
— Danny Danon דני דנון (@dannydanon) May 28, 2024
Critics argue that Haley’s message is insensitive amid the ongoing military offensive in Rafah. Haley, who withdrew her White House bid in March after a series of defeats in Republican primary contests to Trump, recently backed the former US President. Although Trump has ruled her out as a vice-presidential candidate, she remains a potential contender for the 2028 presidential race.
Both Trump and Haley have expressed support for extensive US support for Israel amid the ongoing war which started after a Palestinian attack on southern Israel on October 7 resulted in the death of 1,189 people. Militants took 252 hostages, with 121 still held in Gaza. Israel’s retaliatory strikes have claimed at least 36,096 lives in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.
Despite the backlash, the White House reaffirmed President Joe Biden’s support for the defence policy on Israel, saying that there are no plans for change. This follows a deadly weekend strike in Rafah which killed more than 40 people.
(With agency inputs)
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