<p>President Trump received backlash from nearly every country but Israel when he decided earlier this month to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.</p>
<p>On Monday, the United Nations Security Council voted on a resolution that would have forced Trump to reverse his decision about Jerusalem. The vote was 14-1, with the United States using its veto power for the first time in more than six years. ;</p>
<p>All other 14 members of the council &#8211; including China, Russia, France, and Britain &#8211; agreed that ;Trump&rsquo;s decision threatens future peace negotiations with the Palestinians. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;The status of Jerusalem should be determined through a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states,&rdquo; said British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft. ; ;</p>
<p>The ;resolution amounted to an accusation that the US was &ldquo;setting back the prospects of peace,&#8221; argued US ambassador Nikki Haley. &#8220;That is a scandalous charge,&#8221; she added, calling the ;resolution an &ldquo;insult&rdquo; that &ldquo;won&rsquo;t be forgotten.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Israelis praised Haley&rsquo;s remarks, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared her to the &ldquo;Maccabbees&#8221; &#8211; ancient warriors who seized control of Judea and reasserted the Jewish religion. ;</p>
<p><strong>Pushback ;</strong></p>
<p>Trump&rsquo;s policy shift has sparked protests and earned condemnation from world leaders. ;</p>
<p>Turkish President Recep Tayyip, who earlier vowed to cut off all ties with Israel should the US move its embassy to Jerusalem, is now promising to establish a Turkish embassy for the Palestinians in East Jerusalem.</p>
<p>Last week, representatives from nearly 60 Muslim-majority nations gathered in Turkey to criticize Trump&rsquo;s decision and demand that East Jerusalem be immediately recognized as the capital of Palestine. ;</p>
<p>Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he no longer considers the Trump Administration an impartial mediator in Palestinian-Israeli diplomacy and has dispatched representatives to Russia and China to ask them to take a greater role in peace negotiations with Israel. ;</p>
<p>The status of Jerusalem is at the very heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel has long claimed the city as its capital, but Palestine and much of the worldwide community view the eastern half of the city as the capital of a future Palestinian state. ;</p>
<p>White House officials insist that Trump&#8217;s policy change will have no impact on the boundaries of the future boundaries of Palestine, and Trump has suggested he is willing to accept a two-state solution if an agreement can be reached. ;</p>
<p>The UN General Assembly will hold an emergency session on Thursday at the request of Turkey and Yemen. Members will vote on a measure that calls Trump&rsquo;s decision about Jerusalem &ldquo;null and void&rdquo; and demands that countries avoid decisions that could alter &ldquo;the character, status, or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>Haley has warned that the US will be paying close to attention to the votes on Thursday. &ldquo;When we make a decision&hellip;about where to locate OUR embassy, we don&rsquo;t expect those we&rsquo;ve helped to target us,&rdquo; tweeted Haley. &ldquo;On Thursday there&rsquo;ll be a vote criticizing our choice. The US will be taking names.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>There are no vetoes within the general assembly. A vote in favor of the resolution, however, would serve only as a recommendation and would not be legally binding.</p>