US blocks Palestinian from leading UN mission in Libya

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Feb. 10, 2017 8:49 PM EST

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States on Friday blocked the appointment of the former Palestinian prime minister to lead the U.N. political mission in Libya, saying it was acting to support its ally Israel.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley Friday said the Trump administration "was disappointed" to see that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had sent a letter to the Security Council indicating his intention to appoint Salam Fayyad, who served as the Palestinian Authority's prime minister from 2007-2013, as the next U.N. special representative to Libya.

"For too long the U.N. has been unfairly biased in favor of the Palestinian Authority to the detriment of our allies in Israel," Haley said.

Palestine is a non-member observer state at the United Nations and its independence has been recognized by 137 of the 193 U.N. member nations. But Haley said the United States doesn't currently recognize a Palestinian state "or support the signal" Fayyad's appointment would send within the United Nations.

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