Malaysia and other nations defy Trump
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia joined more than 100 countries in defying US President Donald Trump and voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to withdraw its decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The General Assembly adopted by a decisive vote of 128 to 9, with 35 abstentions, a motion rejecting the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Malaysia’s stand was made by the country’ s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Datuk Seri Mohd Shahrul Ikram Yaakob in his speech during the session yesterday.
He said the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital “is an infringement of the Palestinian people’s rights and their right to selfdetermination”.
Mohd Shahrul advocated a peaceful twostate solution, adding that Malaysia is concerned that the dire situation will only feed into the agenda of extremists.
The 193nation General Assembly opened an emergency session to
vote on a draft resolution reaffirming that Jerusalem is an issue that must be resolved through negotia
tions and that any decision on its status must be rescinded.
The assembly opted to implement the rare emergency session to discuss the status of Jerusalem after the United States vetoed earlier an Egyptdrafted request asking Washington to withdraw its decision to recognise the city as Israel’s capital.
The United States on Monday vetoed a Security Council draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem.
According to reports, the representatives sought to invoke UN Resolution 377, known as the “Uniting for Peace” resolution, which is the only way to circumvent a Security Council veto.
The resolution states that the assembly can call an emergency special session to consider a matter “with a view to making appropriate recommendations to members for collective measures”, if the Security Council fails to act.