US to hold reception for countries that didn't vote to approve UN Jerusalem resolution
The U.S. will hold a reception for countries that did not vote last month to approve a United Nations (U.N.) resolution condemning the Trump administration's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said Tuesday.
"As I said in December, we won't forget the Jerusalem vote," Haley said at a news conference. "To that end, tomorrow night, we are having a reception for the countries who chose not to oppose the U.S. position [on Jerusalem]."
The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly last month to rebuke the Trump administration's announcement recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, despite threats from Haley and Trump that they would take stock of those countries that voted to oppose the U.S.
The resolution, while not legally binding, amounted to an international effort to pressure the Trump administration to reconsider its Jerusalem decision, which reversed decades of U.S. policy in the region.
Among the countries to vote in favor of the resolution were key U.S. allies, like the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Other allies, like Canada, Australia and Mexico, abstained from the vote.
Among the nine countries to vote against the resolution were the U.S., Israel, Honduras, Guatemala and Palau, among others.
The Hill has reached out to the State Department for comment.
Jerusalem is considered sacred by Jews, Christians and Muslims, and Israel considers the city its eternal capital. But the Palestinians have long desired to establish east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
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