When US President-elect Donald Trump tweeted that things would be different for Israel at the United Nations after his inauguration Jan. 20, no one expected that it would include vetoing a personnel decision by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, but that is exactly what happened with the appointment of former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as Guterres' personal envoy to Libya.

Fayyad had undergone a rigorous selection process at the end of which all parties appeared to be onboard. The secretary-general’s office even sent a draft press release on the appointment for Fayyad to review, Al-Monitor has learned. Then came the shocker: Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, announced Feb. 10 that the United States opposed Fayyad's appointment, calling it “biased and detrimental to our allies in Israel.”

Former US peace envoy and ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk suggested that Haley's statement rejecting the appointment might have been triggered the night before during a private dinner in New York that included the president and his biggest donor, Sheldon Adelson. Adelson is a strong supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had made it clear that his government was unhappy about Israel's treatment at the United Nations and had opposed Fayyad’s appointment. The reaction to the US veto was swift and crossed partisan lines.

Former US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro slammed the move as “stunningly dumb” and a “farce.” The Times of Israel quoted Shapiro as saying, “If you know Fayyad — decent, smart, honest, ethical, hardworking — it’s much more outrageous.” Even the right-wing Jerusalem Post rejected the Trump administration’s position on Fayyad’s appointment. In a Feb. 12 editorial, “Support Fayyad,” the daily criticized Israeli officials for endorsing the US position, calling Fayyad “an exceptional” Palestinian leader.