The United Nations condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital with 128 nation supporting the resolution. 9 countries supported US, while 35 nations abstained.
The vote follows threats by US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley warning the nations that they may lose their US funding if they went against its Jerusalem policy.
Mevlut Cavusoglu, foreign minister of Turkey, a co-sponsor of the resolution, tweeted that sovereignty and national dignity is not something US can buy.
Today, the international community once again showed that dignity and sovereignty are not for sale.#Turkey #Palestine and all other co-sponsors thank every country that supported #UNGA resolution on Palestine. pic.twitter.com/nw4Up6U8Fk
— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) December 21, 2017
US on its part continues to alienate itself from the global community. Nikki Haley thanked all the nations that abstained from voting and those which voted in its favour while reasserting President Trump’s decision to have the US embassy in the disputed city
We appreciate these countries for not falling to the irresponsible ways of the @UN: pic.twitter.com/a0hUTepD8H
— Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 21, 2017
RT @USUN: “America will put our embassy in #Jerusalem…No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the @UN, and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN.” pic.twitter.com/UBLFXVyouY
— Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 21, 2017
The status of Jerusalem has been a constant source of dispute since the creation of Israel.
In 1947, for the creation of Israel, the United Nations mandated to divide British ruled Palestine into three a Jewish controlled state, an Arab nation and Jerusalem, which would have a unique status as an internationally controlled city.
Jewish leaders largely agreed to the plan, but the Arabs, however rejected it.
Following the British withdrawal successive wars between Arabs and Israelis enabled the later to annex the holy city entirely; including the eastern old city which became part of Israel post 1967 war. Almost all peace settlements, including once proposed by Washington in past, consider Israel’s boundaries to be pre-1967 Arab-Israel war.
The present Trump proposal backtracks on a long held US position in the region and is likely to fuel Anti-American anger on streets. It may transform the region into uniting under a Pan-Arab nationalism much like a repeat of rise of Gamal Abdel Nasser and that of Baathist movements. It will also create problems for countries like India which have good relations with both the Jewish state as well as the Arab states.
With Jordan and Saudi Arabia, the custodians of Islam’s holy sites issuing strong warnings to US, this move can seriously jeopardize world peace and inflame passions that may be misused by Islamic State or Muslim Brotherhood
