More than 120 countries have defied President Donald Trump and voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Mr Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favour, but a total of 128 countries backed the resolution, 35 abstained, and nine voted against.
Ahead of the vote, the United States said it was "singled out for attack" at the United Nations over Jerusalem, which holds Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites.
"The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation," US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told the 193-member General Assembly.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told the United States it could not buy Turkey's support in Thursday's vote.
"Mr Trump, you cannot buy Turkey's democratic will with your dollars," Mr Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara.
"I hope and expect the United States won't get the result it expects from there [the United Nations] and the world will give a very good lesson to the United States."
President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this month to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital sparked an array of reaction from the international community, almost all of it negative, ranging from concern to outright condemnation. The move also sparked protests and violence in the region.
The status of Jerusalem has long been a contested point, the solution of which is expected to be crucial to any two-state peace agreement. Israel has long claimed Jerusalem as its capital and has controlled the entirety of the city since annexing East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. Palestinians would be certain to seek the return of East Jerusalem to serve as its capital in any two-state agreement.
It would be interesting to see if President Trumph do what US has threated to nations against his demand. It is likely anticipated that President Trumph would follow a political or strategical move to countries where US interest shall be reserved and not left to other states like Russia and China. It is likely that US will not repeat the same mistake as Syria where leaving the area gives leverage to Russia to increase its infleunce.
