Canada abstains from UN vote on embassy move
Canada abstained from a contentious United Nations vote Thursday that delivered a rebuke to Donald Trump over his decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The UN General Assembly voted 128-9 in favour of a resolution declaring the U.S. president’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital to be null and void.
Thirty-five countries, including Canada, abstained.
The vote placed Canada in a difficult situation because Trump had threatened to retaliate against countries that supported the resolution. It came as Canada is in the midst of a tough renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement with a protectionist Trump administration that has threatened to tear up the deal.
Shortly before the vote, a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed that Canada would abstain and said the Canadian government was of the view the resolution never should have landed on the floor of the General Assembly.
“We are disappointed that this resolution is one sided and does not advance prospects for peace to which we aspire, which is why we have abstained on today’s vote,” Marc-Andre Blanchard, Canada’s UN ambassador told the General Assembly.
Blanchard said Canada wants to emphasize that Jerusalem has special significance to Jews, Muslims and Christians.
“Denying the connection between Jerusalem and the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths undermines the integrity of the site for all. We also reiterate the need to maintain the status quo at Jerusalem’s Holy sites.”
Nikki Haley, the American ambassador to the UN, said the world body’s castigation of Israel is wrong and harms its credibility. She also said the U.S. decision to move its Israeli embassy is final.