Trump threatens to cut aid over UN Jerusalem vote

Donald Trump has threatened to cut aid to worldwide locations that vote in favour of a draft UN resolution condemning the US determination to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The US president stated on the White Home on Wednesday the US may perchance perchance be « staring at these votes ».

« They take a full bunch of 1000’s and 1000’s of dollars and even billions of dollars, after which they vote towards us. Smartly, we’re staring at these votes. Let them vote towards us. We are going to keep lots. We do no longer care, » Reuters news company quoted Trump as asserting.

The UN Traditional Meeting will aid an emergency session on Thursday to vote on the controversial US determination.

The movement is anticipated to circulate easily in the 193-member UN body, nonetheless this may perchance perchance be non-binding.

Threatening letters

The president’s comments come after Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, sent threatening letters to UN member states urging them to vote towards the movement.

Haley also stated on Twitter « the US will likely be taking names » of countries that vote in favour of the resolution.

At the UN we’re repeatedly requested to stop extra & give extra. So, when we win a determination, on the need of the American ppl, abt where to detect OUR embassy, we do no longer ask these we include helped to focal point on us. On Thurs there’ll be a vote criticizing our preference. The US will likely be taking names. pic.twitter.com/ZsusB8Hqt4

— Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 19, 2017

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki on Wednesday accused the US of « threatening » member worldwide locations of the UN Traditional Meeting sooner than the vote.

Malki stated American officials were « committing one other mistake when they include disbursed this famed letter making an strive to threaten worldwide locations, [and] threaten their sovereign determination to come to a decision on vote ».

« That is in general a fresh definition of world command in politics and it sounds as if the American administration … are placing their stamp on a fresh political actuality that many worldwide locations will reject, » Malki stated.

The UN session would present « how many worldwide locations will opt to vote with their sense of right and unsuitable, » he added.

Trump declared Jerusalem to be Israel’s capital on December 6 and launched the US draw to pass its embassy to the metropolis.

The contentious pass prompted substantial-scale protests and condemnation from leaders across the enviornment.

US veto

On Tuesday, the US vetoed an Egyptian-subsidized UN Security Council resolution that called on worldwide locations to no longer place diplomatic missions in Jerusalem.

The US was outnumbered 14 to 1 when it vetoed that resolution.

Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna, reporting from the UN headquarters in Fresh York, stated the Swedish ambassador to the UN has signalled the nation would vote in favour of the resolution.

« What we will be seeing in the Traditional Meeting Thursday on that negate vote is inclined to be a sweeping condemnation no longer correct of attempts to alter the yelp of Jerusalem, nonetheless also in a mode an notion pollon President Trump’s isolationist policies, » Hanna stated.