​ (Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Thursday, 8 March 2018), in New York, met with US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and said at the start of the meeting:
 
"It's good to see you again. You're making everything better.
 
I think the President is completely focused on the danger of Iran and the nuclear deal, and Iran's aggression in the region. And he's just focused on the right thing. This is, as you well know, this is what animates everyone right now, not only Israel and America but just about everybody else in the Middle East. It certainly doesn't pass you by, I'm sure.
 
I wanted to tell you how much we appreciate the defense of Israel and the truth that the President and you bring into these cloistered halls that are so damp, you know, with anti-Israel venom. It's not a breath of fresh air, it's like a tsunami of fresh air."
 
Ambassador Haley replied (referring to the treatment of Israel at the UN):
 
"It's amazing. I mean, really, it was just abusive before, and I think I've told you that before. I mean, I feel bad for Danny [Danon] and what he's had to put up with but it was abusive before. But it's actually starting to get a little bit better. I mean, they don't want to get yelled at, right? So they just realized that.
 
I think that Iran is a big focus right now. I mean, we're very concerned. I'm very concerned for Israel. I mean, I think that they're feeling more and more threatened and I think that they're going to have to end up making some decisions and I'm concerned that they won't make the right ones, that's something that, you know, we're very focused on. We see what's happening in Syria, I'd love your thoughts on that in terms of where we're going there."