UN adopts Jerusalem resolution despite US threats

The United Nations on Thursday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution on Jerusalem, calling on the United States to withdraw its recognition of the city as Israel's capital. 

A total of 128 members voted in favor of the Jerusalem resolution, nine countries voted against and 35 others abstained. 

The UN’s 193-member General Assembly voted on the resolution rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s Dec. 6 decision to recognize the city as Israel’s capital -- a move that has drawn condemnation from across the Arab and Muslim world.

Israel, Honduras, Togo, U.S., Palau, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Guatemala voted against Jerusalem resolution. 

Two-thirds of UN member states including Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Spain and Greece voted in favor of the resolution.

Australia, Antigua-Barbuda, Argentina, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Latvia, Lesotho, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Trinidad-Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda and Vanuatu abstained in the vote. 

Unlike the UN’s 15-member Security Council, the U.S. does not have veto power in the General Assembly. 

International law views the West Bank -- including East Jerusalem -- as “occupied territory” and considers all Jewish settlement building on the land to be illegal. 

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem might eventually serve as the capital of an independent state of Palestine.

The adopted resolution stresses on the need to protect and preserve the "unique spiritual, religious and cultural dimensions" of Jerusalem.

It adds that the final status issue of Jerusalem should be resolved through negotiation in line with relevant UN resolutions and declares any decision to alter its status "null and void".

It also calls upon all countries to refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in Jerusalem.

Before the voting, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an address to the member states: "A UN member threatened all other members. We were asked to vote 'no' or to face the consequences."

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to cut aid to countries who vote in favor of the Jerusalem resolution on Wednesday.

During a cabinet meeting, Trump said "Let them vote against us."

"We’ll save a lot. We don’t care. But this isn’t like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars,” he added.

US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said on Wednesday she will be “taking names” of countries who vote in favor of the resolution.