The United Nation (UN) General Assembly has decisively backed a resolution effectively calling on the US to withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The text says that any decisions regarding the status of the city are “null and void” and must be cancelled.
According BBC News, the non-binding resolution was approved by 128 states, with 35 abstaining and nine others voting against. It came after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut financial aid to those who backed the resolution.
Before the vote, the Palestinian foreign minister urged member states to reject “blackmail and intimidation”.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile said it would reject the anticipated result “outright” and dismissed the UN as a “house of lies”.
What is so contentious about Jerusalem’s status?
The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians. Israel occupied the east of the city in the 1967 Middle East war and regards the entire city as its indivisible capital. The text put forward by Turkey and Yemen does not mention the US, but expresses “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem”.
It also says
“any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council”.
