U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Nicki Haley pledged to end "Israel bashing" during her address to a pro-Israel lobby at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference on Monday.
Haley condemned a December resolution criticizing Israeli settlement construction, labeling it as a "kick in the gut".
According to the Middle East Monitor, she even went on to say, "never do we not have the backs of our friends. We don’t have a greater friend than Israel.“
"The UN department of political affairs has an entire division devoted entirely to Palestinian affairs! Imagine that! There is no division devoted to illegal missile launches form North Korea. There is no division devoted to the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, Iran… the double standards are breathtaking,” she added.
Her comments at the conference sparked outrage, and even before she took the stand, people were protesting against the event in Washington.
The continuous building of illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine, has been condemned by the majority of the international community and the UN.
Israel was also accused of imposing an "apartheid regime" in Palestine, according to a >now-withdrawn ESCWA report.
Trump's vice president also spoke at the conference
Other speakers at the event included Trump's vice president Mike Pence and former British prime minister Tony Blair.
Pence's address seemed to be paving the way for increased U.S. support to the Israeli occupation under Trump's administration.
Numerous organizations had called for protests
And many answered
On the day of the conference's launch hundreds protested against it.
The Ifnotnow now group led the protests. The organization was formed during Israel's attack on Gaza in 2014, and its goals include ending the occupation of Palestine.
The crowd at the protest was "largely Jewish" and all protesters denounced the conference.
They were eventually faced with people from the Jewish Defense League who showed up in support of AIPAC.