On Thursday, more than 120 members of the UN General Assembly voted for a resolution calling for President Trump to reverse his recent recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The vote is not legally binding, but it does serve as an official UN recommendation and a reflection of the council’s views. The final vote was 128-9, with 35 abstentions and 21 non-votes.
The resolution reaffirms 10 previous resolutions on Jerusalem, including requirements that the city’s final status be decided through direct negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis. It also demands that all UN members comply with all resolutions on Jerusalem and states that Trump’s decision on Jerusalem has “no legal effect” and is “null and void.”
Palestinians celebrated the vote as a victory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the resolution “preposterous.” Among the countries that abstained were Mexico, Canada, Australia, Philippines, Colombia, and Argentina.
As I wrote in a previous article, the United States was forced to use its veto power last Monday when the UN Security Council voted on a resolution that would have banned the US from moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Thursday’s meeting, called by Turkey and Yemen, was a response to that veto.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned that Trump would be watching Thursday’s votes carefully.
Trump responded to the vote by threatening to cut financial aid to countries that voted in favor of the resolution. This could be a serious blow to countries like Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq that receive considerable military or economic aid from the US.
“The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation,” said Haley. “We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world’s largest contribution to the UN, and so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit.”
Haley expressed her thanks to the 64 countries that did not support the resolution, inviting them to attend a January 3rd reception honoring them for their “friendship to the United States.”
Editor’s note: This is why we like Trump. He makes the right decision and sticks to it, I don’t expect any retribution, but Trump will not back down.