Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday asked US
President Donald Trump to reverse his decision recognising Jerusalem as
Israel's capital after a UN vote overwhelming rejected the move.
Erdogan
had earlier called on UN member states not to be swayed by Trump's
threat to cut funding for countries that backed the motion at the UN
General Assembly.
“We welcome with great pleasure the UN
General Assembly's overwhelming support... we expect the Trump
administration to rescind without further delay its unfortunate
decision, whose illegality has been clearly established,” Erdogan said
on Twitter.
“I am calling on the whole world: never sell
your democratic will in return for petty dollars,” he had said in a
televised speech in Ankara before the vote.
The US decision on December 6 broke with international
consensus and unleashed protests across the Muslim world, prompting a
flurry of appeals to the United Nations.
At an emergency
session on Thursday, the UN General Assembly adopted the motion
rejecting Trump's decision by 128 votes to nine, with 35 abstentions.
The
measure was sent to the General Assembly after it was vetoed by the US
at the Security Council on Monday, though all other 14 council members
voted in favour.
Trump warned that Washington would
closely watch how nations voted, suggesting there could even be
reprisals for countries that backed the motion which was put forward by
Yemen and Turkey on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries.
Erdogan accused Trump of making “threats”.
“How
do they call America? The cradle of democracy. The cradle of democracy
is seeking to find will in the world that can be bought with dollars,”
he said.
“Mr Trump you cannot buy with dollars Turkey's democratic will. Our decision is clear,” he said.
Palestinians welcome support
The Palestinian president welcomed the UN resolution criticising the US government's controversial recognition of Jerusalem.
“This
decision reaffirms once again that the just Palestinian cause enjoys
the support of international law, and no decision by any party can
change the reality,” a statement from Palestinian president Mahmud
Abbas's spokesman said, stressing it showed “that Jerusalem is occupied
territory under international law”.
“We will continue our
efforts in the United Nations and all international forums to end the
occupation and create a Palestinian state with its capital in east
Jerusalem,” the statement added.
The Palestinian
movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and has fought three wars
with Israel since 2008, said it was a blow to Israel's attempts to
“judaise” Jerusalem.
In a statement the party called the
vote “a step in the right direction, a victory of Palestinian rights
and a blow to the Trump declaration”.