The United States (US) on Monday vetoed a draft United Nations resolution rejecting US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital after all 14 other Security Council members backed the measure.
The
veto cast by US Ambassador Nikki Haley highlighted Washington's
isolation over Trump's announcement that the US embassy will be moved
from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, effectively ignoring Palestinian claims on
the city.
Key US allies Britain, France, Italy, Japan,
and Ukraine were among the 14 countries in the 15-member council that
backed the measure asserting that any decisions on the status of
Jerusalem “have no legal effect, are null and void and must be
rescinded”.
“The United States will not be told by any
country where we can put our embassy,” Haley told the council after the
veto. Egypt put forward the draft resolution which insists that
Jerusalem is an issue “to be resolved through negotiations” between
Israel and the Palestinians and expresses “deep regret at recent
decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem”, without specifically
mentioning Trump's move.
The US along with Britain,
China, France and, Russia can veto any resolution presented to the
council, which requires nine votes for adoption.
Breaking
with international consensus, Trump announced on December 6 that he
would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy
there from Tel Aviv, triggering protests and strong condemnation.
US
Vice President Mike Pence will visit Jerusalem on Wednesday, wading
into the crisis over one of the most controversial issues in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel seized control of the eastern part
of the city in the 1967 Middle East war and sees all of Jerusalem as its
undivided capital. The Palestinians view the east as the capital of
their future state.
The draft resolution had included a
call on all countries to refrain from opening embassies in Jerusalem,
reflecting concerns that other governments could follow the US lead.
It demanded that all member-states not recognise any actions that are contrary to UN resolutions on the status of the city.
