US stands isolated on declaring Jerusalem as capital of Israel

United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, addresses the General Assembly prior to the vote on Jerusalem. Credit: EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AFP

A UN general assembly resolution condemning US decision of declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has been passed with an overwhelming majority. A total of 128 states voted in favor of the resolution, 9 voted against it, while 35 abstained.

Before the vote on the resolution, Nikki Haley the U.S. Permanent Representative at UN, warned nations of consequences if they voted against US. “The vote will not have any affect on the US decision but we will remember those who voted against us”, she said.

Representatives of various nations derided US President Trump’s decision of declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. They said such a decision is against the resolutions of United Nations and it would harm the peace process in the Middle East.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Maleeha Lodhi also criticized US decision in strong terms saying, “The US should know that the world community is not for sale.”