The United Nations general assembly has delivered a stinging rebuke to Donald Trump, voting by a huge majority to reject his unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The vote came despite a redoubling of threats by Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, who warned that Washington would remember which countries “disrespected” America by voting against it.
Despite the warning, 128 members voted in favour of the resolution with only nine – including the United States and Israel voting against. There were 35 abstentions, including Canada.
While support for the resolution was somewhat less than Palestinian officials had hoped, the meagre tally of just nine votes in support of the US and Israeli position was a serious diplomatic blow for Trump.
Immediately after the vote Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas described the result as a “victory for Palestine”.
The 193-member body voted instead to support the long-standing international consensus that the status of Jerusalem – which is claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians as a capital – can only be settled as an agreed final issue in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Although largely symbolic, the vote in emergency session of the world body became the focus of days of furious diplomacy by both the Trump administration and Israel, including Trump’s threat to cut US funding to countries that did not back the US recognition.
128 countries voted in favor of the resolution rejecting President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, 9 voted against, 35 abstained.
How each country voted:
