US ‘taking names’ of UN opponents on Jerusalem

US ‘taking names’ of UN opponents on Jerusalem
Copyright REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
By Alice Cuddy
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The warning comes ahead of a vote by the 193-member UN General Assembly on Thursday

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The US will be “taking names” of United Nations members who reject its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in a vote on Thursday (December 21), its ambassador has warned.

In a letter to members of the UN General Assembly, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned that President Donald Trump "will be watching this vote carefully" and "requested I report back on those who voted against us.”

She added that Trump and the US will “take this vote personally.”

In a subsequent tweet, Haley warned that the US would be “taking names” of those opposing its decision.

The warnings came amid outrage in Washington after the US was isolated in a 14 to one vote requesting Trump withdraw his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The emergency session on Thursday will see the 193-member UN General Assembly—which has no vetoes—vote on the issue.

The vote in the General Assembly is non-binding but carries political weight.

Trump announced on December 6 that the US formally recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and will move its embassy there, reversing decades of US policy.

Israel, which seized control of the eastern part of Jerusalem in a 1967 war, regards all of the city as its capital and wants all embassies based there. However, Palestinians also view the east as the capital of their state.

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