Trump’s aid threat over Jerusalem
UNITED NATIONS: United States President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off US funding to countries that support a UN resolution criticising his decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Trump yesterday strongly supported US Ambassador Nikki Haley, who said the US ‘‘will be taking names’' of countries that vote in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution today declaring that Jerusalem’s status can be changed only by direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
‘‘For all these nations, they take our money and then vote against us. They take hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions of dollars and then they vote against us,’' Trump said at a cabinet meeting in Washington, DC with Haley sitting nearby. ‘‘We’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us.
‘‘We’ll save a lot. We don’t care.’’
In a letter to over 180 of the 193 UN member states and an even tougher tweet on Wednesday, Haley hinted at possible US retaliation, but Trump’s comments made it clear to recipients of US assistance that billions of dollars could be at stake.
Haley’s threat drew sharp criticism from the Palestinian and Turkish foreign ministers before they flew to New York for the general assembly vote. They accused the US of intimidation.
Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, tweeted after Trump’s comments: ‘‘Our government should not use its leadership at the UN to bully/ blackmail other nations that stand for religious liberty and justice in Jerusalem. Justice is a core value of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.’'
Before Haley’s letter and tweet, Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour said he expected ‘‘massive support’' for the resolution in the general assembly.
Israel had also been conducting a global lobbying campaign against the resolution, government officials said yesterday.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said they believed UN member countries would ignore Haley. ‘‘No honourable state would bow to such pressure,’' Cavusoglu said. ‘‘The world today is revolting against injustices.’'
The Palestinians sought the general assembly vote after the US on Tuesday vetoed a resolution supported by the 14 other UN Security Council members that would have required Trump to rescind his declaration on Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and not move the US embassy there. Unlike the security council, assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but they do reflect world opinion.
In her letter, Haley said the Trump administration was ‘‘simply asking that you acknowledge the historical friendship, partnership, and support we have extended and respect our decision about our own embassy’’.
It is not the first time that Haley has threatened to keep track of US opponents. On January 27, the day she arrived at the UN as ambassador, she said the Trump administration’s goal was to show US strength, speak out and defend its allies - and as for countries opposing America, ‘‘we’re taking names’’.
The draft resolution says Jerusalem ‘‘is a final status issue’', and reaffirms 10 security council resolutions on Jerusalem, dating back to 1967, including requirements that the city’s final status must be decided in direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. It ‘‘affirms that 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’'. –AP