The United Nations voted on Thursday against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to deem Jerusalem the capital of Israel just one day after Trump indicated that countries could lose U.S. funding over their stance on the ordeal.
Overall, 128 countries voted for a resolution against Trump’s move, while just nine nations sided with the U.S. An additional 35 countries abstained from the vote, CNN reported.
It should also be noted that 21 delegations reportedly weren’t present during the vote. A UN press release has more:
By an overwhelming majority, Member States in the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday “demanded” that all countries comply with Security Council resolutions regarding the status of Jerusalem.
Through a resolution adopted by a recorded vote of 128 in favour to nine against, with 35 abstentions, the 193-member Assembly expressed “deep regret” over recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem and stressed that the Holy City “is a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations in line with relevant UN resolutions.
As Faithwire previously reported, Trump had previously threatened on Wednesday to cut off aid from nations that chose to vote against his decision to officially designate Jerusalem the capital of Israel.
“For all these nations, they take our money and then vote against us,” he said in a meeting with cabinet members on Wednesday. “They take hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions of dollars and then they vote against us.”
Trump continued, “We’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot. We don’t care.”
Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, also delivered a fierce rebuke of the UN during Thursday’s emergency General Assembly meeting.
She accused the international body — right to her fellow members’ faces — of being hostile toward Israel and she pledged not to back down from Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The more controversial portion of the speech, though, focused on the fact that the U.S. is the “single largest contributor” to the U.N., something that Haley indicated could be in danger if the vote doesn’t go America’s way.
“We’ll be honest with you. When we make generous contributions to the U.N. we also have a legitimate expectation that our goodwill is recognized and respected,” she said. “When a nation is singled out for attack in this organization, that nation is disrespected … that nation is asked to pay for the privilege of being disrespected.”
Haley continued, “In the case of the United States, we are asked to pay more than anyone else for that dubious privilege.”
The resolution is non-binding and doesn’t carry the force of any international law.
This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.