U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley invited representatives of countries who didn’t vote in favor of the United Nations General Assembly’s Jerusalem resolution to a reception as “thank you for your friendship to the United States.”
The 8 countries who voted no with the #US on the #UNGA #Jerusalem resolution, the 35 who abstained and the 21 who did not cast a vote have been invited to a reception by @nikkihaley as a “thank you for your friendship to the United States” pic.twitter.com/x0qRs4AZlZ
— Michelle Nichols (@michellenichols) December 21, 2017
The U.N. General Assembly voted Thursday on a resolution calling on the Trump administration to withdraw its recent and controversial decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In total, 128 countries voiced their support for the resolution.
The U.S. does not need to abide by the passed measure, but it does place political pressure on the U.S.
Ahead of the vote, Haley issued an ominous warning to fellow members of the U.N. General Assembly before the emergency session.
“The US will be taking names,” Haley tweeted on Tuesday.
In addition to the United States, eight countries voted against the resolution Thursday. Thirty-five countries abstained and another 21 did not vote at all.
The status of Jerusalem is a sensitive issue, as both Israelis and Palestinians claim it as their capital.
Bucking decades of U.S. policy, President Trump announced earlier this month that Jerusalem would be recognized by the U.S. as the capital of Israel. Trump also announced that he ordered the State Department to make preparations to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The U.S., along with many other nations, previously had not identified Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, noting the decision is incumbent upon the result of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
