Salam Fayyad, former Palestinian Prime Minister (2007-13) was nominated as head of the UN political mission in Libya after months of open consideration. In a surprising diplomatic move, the United States has objected the appointment with US Ambassador Haley stating ‘the UN has been unfairly biased, to the detriment of our allies in Israel.
Appointments require unanimous backing by the 15 countries of the member council, which includes the US. The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres defended Fayyad's selection stipulating that ‘staff serve strictly in their personal capacity’ and that it was based entirely on ‘his competence for that position’. This is a significant diplomatic signal from the Trump administration and it remains unclear if Fayyad will be ultimately appointed.
