Trump’s UN ambassador pick backs Israel’s ‘biblical right’ to annex West Bank

Elise Stefanik, Donald Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations, has openly endorsed Israel’s claim to the entire occupied West Bank, citing a so-called “biblical right”.

During her Senate confirmation hearing, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen pressed Stefanik on whether she still supported the extreme views of Israeli far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who advocate full annexation. “Yes,” she replied without hesitation, confirming her alignment with Israel’s most hardline factions.

Her remarks signal that a second Trump administration could fully back Israeli expansionism, undermining any prospects for Palestinian statehood.

Stefanik has also vowed to defund UN agencies Israel has accused - without credible evidence - of aiding Palestinian resistance groups.