Palestinians bringing Jerusalem measure vetoed by US to UN General Assembly
Following Monday’s U.S. veto of a United Nations Security Council resolution that called for the withdrawal of President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the Palestinians will initiate a vote on the same measure in the U.N. General Assembly today [Friday AEDT/NZDT].
The U.N. General Assembly hall. Credit: Patrick Gruban via Wikimedia Commons.
Since the Palestinian Authority (PA) is a non-member observer state at the world body rather than a full U.N. member, a bloc of countries led by Turkey and Bolivia will submit the resolution on behalf of the Palestinians.
The measure is expected to pass due to the Arab and Muslim majority in the General Assembly, but would only be a symbolic move and would have no practical implications for Israel or the U.S.
“We are moving within 48 hours…to call for an emergency meeting of the General Assembly,” PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told reporters in Ramallah after the U.S. veto of the Security Council resolution.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley called the Security Council measure “an insult.”
“The fact that this veto is being done in defense of America’s role in the Middle East peace process is not a source of embarrassment for us; it should be an embarrassment to the remainder of the Security Council,” she said.
