The UN General Assembly has decisively backed a resolution effectively calling on the US to withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“The text says that any decisions regarding the status of the city are “null and void” and must be cancelled.” BBC reports
The non-binding resolution was approved by 128 states, with 35 abstaining and nine others voting against.
It came after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut financial aid to those who backed the resolution.
Before the vote, the Palestinian foreign minister urged member states to reject “blackmail and intimidation”.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said it would reject the anticipated result “outright” and dismissed the UN as a “house of lies”.
The nine who voted against the resolution were the US, Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo.
Among the 35 abstaining were Canada and Mexico
Those voting in favour included the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia and the UK) as well as key US allies in the Muslim world.There were 21 countries who did not turn up for the vote.
Recall that Trump yesterday had warned that he might cut financial aid to states who voted in favour of the resolution.
“They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars and then they vote against us,” he said. “Well, we’re watching those votes,” he added. “Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot. We don’t care.”
