'Finish them!': Nikki Haley writes message on Israeli artillery shell

Nikki Haley – the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations – wrote "Finish them!" on an Israeli artillery shell during a recent trip to the country.

The former South Carolina governor and former Republican presidential candidate was in Israel over the Memorial Day weekend visiting sites of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that killed around 1,200 people and led to over 240 being taken hostage. The Gaza Ministry of Health, which is controlled by Hamas, has said about 36,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. While stopping along the border with Lebanon Tuesday, Haley signed her message, which also read, "America (loves) Israel. Always, Nikki Haley."

The Biden administration paused sending 3,500 bombs to Israel for concern they would be used against the city of Rafah, where over a million refugees have taken shelter. Aftermath from an Israeli strike there over the weekend left around 45 Palestinians dead.

Haley criticized President Joe Biden over the weekend for his handling of the Israel-Hamas War and recent withholding of weapons from Israel.

"You can't hold back weapons from an ally," Haley said in an interview with Israel Hayom, the country's most widely distributed newspaper. "So if we want to be a friend to Israel, the best thing America can do is let Israel do its job and just support (it).”

Haley exited the race for president back in March after a lackluster Super Tuesday result. She had avoided endorsing former President Donald Trump until last week, during an event at the Hudson Institute, where she is now employed, when she said she would vote for the presumed GOP nominee.

What does it mean?: Making sense of Nikki Haley's kind of, sort of, Trump endorsement

“Trump has not been perfect on these policies," Haley said after her speech on foreign policy, "but Biden has been a catastrophe."

Haley said the solution for Palestinians is "to get rid of Hamas," the militant group governing the Gaza Strip.

"They need to change leadership; they need to understand that they are in this situation because of the leaders around them," Haley told Israel Hayom. "This is not Israel's job to save the Palestinians, the Palestinians should want to save themselves by getting rid of the terrorists who are trying to control them who are using them as human shields."

Human rights activist Ken Roth condemned Haley's actions, writing in a post on X, formerly Twitter, "Nikki Haley shows who she is."

"Why not just sign, 'I favor Israeli war crimes.'" Roth wrote.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikki Haley writes 'Finish them!' on Israeli artillery shell