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‘Same values, a lot to do together,’ Israeli envoy tells JNS of Trump admin

Danny Danon also said that the Jewish state hopes Elise Stefanik will be confirmed and “will come to the U.N. as soon as possible.”

Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, briefs reporters ahead of the U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East on Aug. 22, 2024. Credit: Manuel Elías/U.N. Photo.
Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, briefs reporters ahead of the U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East on Aug. 22, 2024. Credit: Manuel Elías/U.N. Photo.

Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, told JNS outside the U.S. Capitol on Monday prior to attending President Donald Trump’s inauguration that Israel and the Trump administration “have a lot to do together.”

“We are very excited today. We congratulate President Trump,” Danon said. “He’s a friend of Israel.”

Danon told JNS that he met with many members of the Trump administration during his trip in Washington and that he has previously met with Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who is Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel, and with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), the president’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

The members of the Trump administration with whom Danon met told him that “we are here to support Israel. Be strong,” the envoy told JNS.

“We are waiting for the new administration to step in, and we have to stick with them about all the challenges,” he said, noting Iran, Lebanon, Syria and the hostages and Gaza.

“We have a lot to do together. We have the same values, same principles, and I believe we’re going to have very strong support coming from the White House,” he said.

Danon thinks that the new White House will focus largely on domestic issues in its opening days and weeks. But he believes that Trump understands what’s happening in Israel’s neighborhood and will be responsive.

“Domestic issues. That’s the main goal of this administration. Today, the president will sign executive orders only about domestic issues,” he said. “But I know that he cares a lot about what’s happening in the Middle East.”

“He’s worried about the hostages and he’s worried about the possibility that Iran might be nuclear,” Danon said. “I think he understands the challenge.”

The Israeli envoy expressed anticipation that Stefanik will take up her position soon as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is slated to host Stefanik’s confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

“We are waiting for Elise to come in. We need her now at the U.N.,” Danon told JNS. “Since Oct. 7, we have seen the antisemitism, the bias against Israel. We have a lot to do together, and I hope she will come to the U.N. as soon as possible.”

Earlier in the day, Danon congratulated Trump on social media.

The U.S. president “has unequivocally demonstrated his support for Israel, and I have no doubt that the cooperation between Israel and the new administration will grow and strengthen,” Danon wrote. “The bond between Israel and the United States is a strong one, rooted in shared values. We will continue to work together to defeat the forces of extreme evil.”

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