Tomorrow the 193 member countries will vote on a motion presented by Turkey and Yemen on behalf of OIC. It follows the document presented to the Security Council and marks the international isolation of Washington. US Ambassador: "We will take note of names" for probable economic retribution.
New York (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The UN General Assembly is ready to vote a draft resolution that rejects the [controversial] decision by US President Donald Trump to recognize the holy city Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy there . The emergency session of the 193 member countries is scheduled for tomorrow in New York, at the request of Turkey and Yemen on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
In recent days, the United States has used the right of veto to the Security Council, to reject a similar motion proposed by Egypt. A resolution which obtained 14 votes out of 15 and confirmed the international isolation of Washington on an issue that also concerns Pope Francis and the Christian leaders of the region.
Turkey and Yemen circulated the draft resolution late yesterday afternoon, largely reflecting the similar document presented in the Security Council. It reaffirms that any [unilateral] decision on the status of Jerusalem has no legal value and must be rejected.
As in the resolution presented by Cairo, the text that will be submitted to the General Assembly does not directly refer to President Trump's decision; however, it expresses "deep regret about the recent decisions concerning the status" of the holy city.
The Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour expects "overwhelming support" for the resolution, which also states that the situation in Jerusalem "must be resolved through negotiations" between Israel and Palestine.
The United States’, through its ambassador to the UN, has begun to issue threat. In a tweet issued on the eve of tomorrow's vote, Nikki Haley said that "the US will take the names" of those who vote on the motion. "At the United Nations - she underlined - they always ask us to do and to donate more. So, when we make a decision, by the will of the American people, on where to place our embassy, we do not expect to be targeted by those we have helped. On Thursday there will be a vote that criticizes our choice. We will take the names of those who vote".