- Well welcome to The 700 Club.

The Israeli Ambassadorto the UN, Danny Danon,

and Ambassador, it'swonderful to have you with us.

- Thank you for having me, Gordon.

- Well take us behind the scenes as to

what's going on at the UN.

Are you seeing significant change?

- I'm optimistic.

Even this is hostileplace, I'm optimistic.

We feel the change we see the change.

We are grateful forAmbassador Nikki Haley,

she's doing a great job.

She's standing with Israel,and she's not afraid,

she's not afraid to say the truth to the

other Ambassadors, andeven to bring resolutions

that we know that might not pass,

but still we will win the moral majority,

and we have seen more and more countries

joining the leadership of the US,

that's why I'm optimisticabout the future.

- [Gordon] Didn't she justsurprise the General Assembly

by introducing a resolutioncondemning Hamas?

- Well, let me tell you whathappened a few days before.

The Security Council passed a resolution

condemning Israel for the violence over

defense in Gaza, and Iasked the Security Council,

what about Hamas?

Why can't you nameHamas in the resolution?

Why can't you condemn Hamas?

They were quiet, soAmbassador Haley took that

to the General Assembly,and she put a resolution

to condemn Hamas, and we got the majority.

That was a miracle, 62 member states

supported this resolution.

It shows that when you are bold

and you are not afraid,you can win even in the UN.

- Behind the scenes, doyou get the same rejection

of Israel from the Ambassadors there?

Is there, is that what you'rehearing behind the scenes,

or is there, is this sort of for show?

- It's exactly the opposite.

So behind the scenes,people appreciate Israel.

They even admire Israel, I will meet many

Ambassadors from other countries quietly,

but then when we come to the UN,

they will not even look at me

and I think it will change.

I think it will change.

Also, I think we willsee that the gap between

the public UN and the private UN

will not be the same.

We are seeing it alreadyfrom some countries

in the Middle East becauseI know what they really

think about Israel.

We are not the problem.

Israel is the solution to theproblems in the Middle East.

- I agree, I mean, Israel is,it's the light to the nation.

You look at that and say,

"Yeah, let's follow Israel's example."

Saudi Arabia just cameout with a documentary

which was very unusual,having to do with the

foundation of Israel.

What's your response to that?

They're getting a lot ofheat, particularly from Hamas

for doing that.

Why do you think they released it

and why do you think they released it now

in the 70th year?

- We see more and morecountries in the Middle East

acknowledging the fact thatthis would work with Israel.

If they want to promote peace,they should work with Israel.

They should not think no Israel.

You still have theradical forces like Hamas,

his brother, we fight it,

but I think today, you see the Saudis

and the Israelis inother modern countries,

we have the same enemies,we have the same challenges

and we need to work together.

When you hear the hatewhich is coming from Iran,

it is against the U.S. and against Israel

but it's also against theSaudis, the Egyptians,

the Jordanians, that'swhy we have to find a way

to work together.

- I heard a report and I hope it's true.

It seems unusual that therewere actual protest in Iran

where normally, you hear fromIranians, death to Israel.

There was a protestagainst the ruling party,

the ruling government,

and they started chantingdeath to Palestine.

Is that true?

From an Israeli point of view,

what does that mean?

- First of all, it's true.

You can see it online, the demonstration.

I think that Iranianpeople should speak up.

They should tell the leadersenough with the hatred,

enough with spending billions of dollars

in promoting violence in the Middle East.

Why should the Iranians payfor terrorists in Yamen,

in Syria, in Lebanon, in Gaza.

They should take it for themselves

and we speak directly to the Iranians

and we tell them, "We,the Israelis, the Jews,

"we have nothing against you."

In the past, we workwith the Iranian people,

but the regime is hostile,the regime is exploding

the Iranian people inhope that we would see

more and more of thoseprotests and hopefully one day,

there will be a change off within Iran.

- Well let's go back in time 18 months.

Seems like forever, butin December of 2016,

the Security Councilactually passed a resolution

condemning Israel andsaying Israel had no right

to East Jerusalem, which means Israel,

the Jewish people have noright to the Jewish quarter

in the old city of Jerusalem.

First, what was your reaction at that time

when it passed?

What was going through your heart?

- Gordon, that was a veryhard moment for me personally.

I was in politics for many years,

but still, to be in thesecurity council by myself,

even the United States abandoned us.

It was a shameful momentthat the U.S. allowed

this shameful resolution to pass

and you quoted the language.

It's because our presencein the Holy city,

a flagrant violation to national law.

The fact is, we actually go and pray

in the waiting war, that's aviolation of international law.

It was a low moment but whenI spoke to the ambassador

and told them, we are believers,

we will overcome this shameful resolution.

Little did they know thatexactly a year after,

I would come to the same security council

and we would discuss thedecision of the president

to move the embassy ofthe U.S. to Jerusalem.

So even when you feel thatyou are in a very hard moment,

you need to believe andwe saw what happened

only a year after.

- [Gordon] What's beenthe impact of that move,

the move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem?

- It was a bold decisionof President Trump

and we are grateful for thatand I think more and more

countries following the U.S.

I think it will help the peace process.

It was a reality checkfor the Palestinians.

Jerusalem is the capitalof Israel, period.

Now let's talk about this,let's talk about other things

and I think it's helping the process.

So, I saw the criticismcoming from some of the

European countries, butthey tried for centuries

to achieve peace, it didn't work.

I think this approach with the president

is the right approach.

- What do you think the nextstep is for achieving peace?

Do you think UNRWA, the UN works relief,

do you think that actually hinders peace?

- Well, first, President Trumpis working with his team.

They want to promotepeace, but unfortunately,

the Palestinians are notwilling even to discuss it.

We are open to discuss, to have a dialog,

but we see the Palestinians are not there.

UNRWA supposed to deal withyour militarian issues.

They are not doing it.

They are inciting, soI think that the U.S.

and other countries shouldsupport humanitarian projects

in the Middle East butthey have to make sure

the money goes to thepeople who need the money

and not for incitement against Israel.

- Australia recently saidwe're no longer going to send

money to the Palestinian authority.

They did so because of the pay to slay

where the Palestinians authority literally

is supporting terrorism,they're funding it,

they're giving monthlyincome to either the families

or directly to the terrorists themselves.

Australia said we can no longer do this.

This is against all that we hold dear

and now that Congress haspassed the Taylor Force Act,

it's now up to our statedepartment to determine

do we follow suit.

What do you think will happenin the Palestinian authority

when they get defundedbecause of the payments

to the terrorists?

- I thinks it is a veryimportant initiative.

The U.S. Taylor ForceAct is very important

moral legislationbecause we need to change

the cartel of hate.

When a Palestinian child understands

that if you will kill a Jew,

you will be rewarded for life,

it is a problem.

I think it's a symbolthat we need to change

hatred into coexistence into peace

and that's why it's very important.

I don't know if it will help.

I think some people inthe Palestinian leadership

will choose not to receive funds from the

leadership community, butto continue with the hatred.

It is unfortunate, butmaybe the public will

understand it and will realizethat they need to change that

but today, what we hearfrom President Abbas

and other leaders, thatthey will continue to pay,

from other means they haveto the families of terrorists

who killed innocent Jews.

- [Gordon] Is there any fear that if the

funding's taken away, that the Palestinian

authority will collapse?

- No, it's not a major issue.

It's about seven percent of their budget,

the salary that they are paying,

but it's not easy for them,but I think if it will be

not only the U.S. and Australia.

If we see other countriesfollowing the U.S.,

then it will be meaningful.

If the Palestinian leadership will know

that whenever they willcome to any meeting,

people will ask them why you are paying

families of terrorists whokilled innocent Israelis.

It is insane to payterrorists, to reward them.

It's actually sending amessage for the next generation

Palestinian, we will payyou salaries if you will

continue to kill innocent people.

- Well, you've got a platform right now.

You're talking to hundreds ofthousands of Christians here

in the United States and around the world.

What do you wanna tell them about Israel?

- First off, I want to thank them.

We are grateful for the prayers.

We are grateful for standing with Israel.

I know that I am not alone.

Even when I stand in the United Nations

and I see all the hostility,all the lies against

the only Jewish state, Iknow that I'm not alone

and I want to thank themfor standing with Israel.

We need them to standwith us, to pray with us

and I am optimistic.

Despite everything wehear coming from the UN,

I think we are gratefulfor what we have today.

We achieved a miracle whichis the modern state of Israel.

- How can they pray for you?

I imagine sometimes, youfeel like you stand alone

at the UN.

How can people pray for you?

- You know Gordon, it'sinteresting because

today I live with my family in New York,

which is a friendly city to Israel.

People like Israel.

But when I enter the building of the UN,

it's a hostile ground.

So for me, I know that I'm not alone

and I think when it's not easy,

we need our friends to tell me that.

When you see the pictures in the news

blaming our soldiersdefending our borders,

this is the time we need your prayers,

we need your support.

When it's not easy,when we are under attack

and when you look at the region,

when you see hate behind the nose,

Hamas in the south, youknow that in the future,

they will try to attack us again,

we will lean to thosepeople standing with us

on those crucial times.

- Alright, well Ambassador,thank you for being with us.

- Thank you very much, Gordon, thank you.