United States threatens to cut ‘billions of dollars’ of aid to UN countries over Jerusalem vote
Several diplomats, however, said these warnings would not change many votes in the General Assembly.
United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to withhold billions of dollars in aid from the countries that vote against Washington’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital, Reuters reported.
The 193-member United Nations General Assembly will hold a rare emergency special session on Thursday to vote on a draft resolution that was vetoed by the United States in the UN Security Council on Monday.
The Egyptian-drafted resolution expressed “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem” but did not name the Donald Trump administration. The United States was the only country in the 15-member council to veto it. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass.
“They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Well, we’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot. We don’t care.”
US Ambassador Nikki Haley reportedly wrote to many UN states on Tuesday and told them that Trump had asked her to “report back on those countries who voted against us”. On Twitter, she wrote, “The US will be taking names.”
Referencing tomorrow's UN vote criticizing the US embassy move. In the words of the President, "Let them vote against us, we'll save a lot." pic.twitter.com/eUGWD4cCBR
— Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 20, 2017
At the UN we're always asked to do more & give more. So, when we make a decision, at the will of the American ppl, abt where to locate OUR embassy, we don't expect those we've helped to target us. On Thurs there'll be a vote criticizing our choice. The US will be taking names. pic.twitter.com/ZsusB8Hqt4
— Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 19, 2017
“I like the message that Nikki sent at the United Nations, for all those nations that take our money and then they vote against us at the Security Council, or they vote against us potentially at the assembly,” Trump said.
Several senior diplomats, however, said these warnings would not change many votes in the General Assembly, and that they were aimed more at impressing US voters.
Trump overturned decades of US policy towards the West Asian region and formally recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 7. Trump also said the US will move its Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, which is revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims, is home to Islam’s third holiest site – the al-Aqsa mosque – and has been at the centre of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians for decades. Israel captured East Jerusalem, which predominantly has Arab households, in 1967 and later annexed it in a move that is not recognised internationally.