US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley speaks at a Security Council meeting on the Middle East, Dec. 18, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Shannon Stapleton.

CTech – Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has urged people to talk about Israel with regard to its tech talents and not just “the Palestinian issue.” The remarks were made during an interview with former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon at the first DiploTech Global Summit, a conference bringing together world leaders, heads of states, policymakers, and diplomats.

“I feel like so many countries spend so much time talking about Israel as it relates to the Palestinian issue,” she told Danon. “What I want to see is people start talking about Israel as it relates to their talent and their research and their technology and their gifts to the world that so many people can have. The world knows how smart Israel is, now it’s time to collaborate and really use the technology for good.”

Looking ahead to 2021 and the upcoming change of American leadership, Haley remained optimistic about the progress the Middle East has made in regards to the Abraham Accords and normalization with the UAE, Bahrain, and most recently Morocco.

“Even if Biden were to move things backward, we have come so far,” she told Danon. “This is not just Israel wanting to normalize relations with the Arab countries. The Arab countries now want to normalize relations with Israel. They now know that a partnership with Israel is good for them,” she said.

Nikki Haley served as Ambassador to the UN from 2017-2019. Before that, she served as Governor of South Carolina and a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. She spoke with Danon, who served as Israel’s Ambassador to the UN from 2015-2020. Other participants at the DiploTech Global Summit included Masood Al Awar, CEO of Medallion Associates, UAE; Rafi Kaminer, Founder, CEO, and President of Pangea Group; and Kira Radinsky, Chairwoman and Chief Technology Officer of Diagnostic Robotics.