US politician Nikki Haley writes ‘Finish them’ on Israeli missile

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team has checked this content and established that it is true.

To arrive at this verdict, the team investigated and analysed the image of former US presidential nominee Nikki Haley signing off “Finish them” on an Israeli missile.

HOW IT STARTED

On May 28, 2024, iVerify Pakistan was alerted by the public about an Instagram post which shared a screenshot of an X post by author and activist Fatima Bhutto.

The screenshot showed her reacting to a post shared by Yanis Varoufakis, a Greece-based professor, in which US politician Nikki Haley can be seen writing “Finish them” on Israeli missiles.

“This is a decrepit, despicable political culture that sends its politicians to autograph weapons of mass destruction,” Bhutto said.

The Instagram post was liked by more than 4,000 people while Bhutto’s own X post gained over 14,000 views.

There were also posts shared on social media criticising the US politician’s alleged image.

Imam Omer Suleman, a US civil rights activist, also shared the picture on May 29 on Facebook with the caption, “While Americans watch Israel burn Gaza alive, and Palestinian children are beheaded, Nikki Haley writes love notes on bombs that drop on civilians. Let the world bear witness to your moral depravity.”

Users on Instagram were also criticising the US politician. One such post can be seen here with over 18,000 likes.

METHODOLOGY

The iVerify Pakistan team sought to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza.

To investigate the claim, the iVerify Pakistan team conducted a keyword search for “Nikki Haley”, “writes”, and “Israeli missile” and found various news stories published by different international news outlets corroborating the incident.

The first story the team found was published by The Guardian, a UK-based newspaper, on May 28 with the headline, “Nikki Haley writes ‘finish them’ on IDF artillery shells during Israel visit”.

According to the story, Haley, the former South Carolina governor and failed Republican presidential nominee, signed Israeli artillery shells with the inscription “Finish them” during a Memorial Day visit to Israel.

The report said her actions, intended to show support for Israel during its military offensive in Gaza, were accompanied by criticism of the Joe Biden administration and international courts. It added that Haley’s visit, which included trips to northern Israel and the West Bank settlements, drew sharp criticism from Israeli peace activists.

Another report confirming the same was published by Saudi news outlet Arab News on May 29 with the headline, “Nikki Haley writes ‘finish them’ on Israeli shell: lawmaker”.

Further, the team checked the original account that was sourced by the news reports and found the X post of Danny Danon, Israeli lawmaker and former representative to the UN, in which he shared the picture of Haley, along with his own, writing “Finish them” on an Israeli missile.

“This is what my friend, the former ambassador, Nikki Haley wrote today about a shell during a visit to an artillery post on the northern border,” he said.

Another widely circulated image that seemingly showed Haley’s complete message of “Finish them. America loves Israel. Always. Nikki Haley,” was shared by Danon on his Instagram story.

BACKGROUND

WHO IS NIKKI HALEY

Haley is an American politician and diplomat who served as the governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 and as the US ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 to 2018 under former US president Donald Trump. She is a prominent Republican known for her conservative views and strong support for Israel.

GAZA INVASION

Since October 7, 2023, the fighting between Israel and Hamas has resulted in a devastating toll on human life. The conflict began with Hamas’ attacks on October 7, which killed 1,139 people in Israel while the military campaign in Gaza has led to nearly 37,000 Palestinians being killed, including many women and children, and over 80,000 wounded.

CONCLUSION

The iVerify Pakistan team has determined that the claim regarding an image of US politician Nikki Haley writing “Finish them” on an Israeli missile is true.

The politician did indeed sign off as such on an Israeli visit during a recent visit to the country.

Evidence and References

May 28, 2024, news report by The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/28/nikki-haley-finish-them-missile-israel

May 29, 2024, report by Arab News:
https://www.arabnews.pk/node/2518991/world

May 28, 2024, X post by Danny Danon:
https://perma.cc/V35V-3YE8