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Trump Threatens to Cut Aid to Nations over U.N. Jerusalem Vote

HeadlineDec 21, 2017

At the United Nations General Assembly, the vast majority of countries are slated to vote today on a resolution that opposes President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital—as Trump has launched a furious lobbying campaign against the vote, even threatening to cut off U.S. funding to countries that vote against his decision.

President Donald Trump: “I like the message that Nikki sent yesterday at the United Nations. For all of these nations that take our money and then they vote against us at the Security Council, or they vote against us, potentially, at the Assembly, they take hundreds of millions of dollars, and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us. Well, we’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot. We don’t care.”

President Trump sparked international condemnation when he announced earlier this month the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. Embassy there. Control of Jerusalem is one of the most contested issues: Palestinians see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Sustained protests continue in the Israel-occupied Palestinian territories, despite a brutal Israeli military crackdown. On Wednesday, dozens of Palestinian protesters were wounded after Israeli soldiers opened fire with live ammunition and tear gas against thousands of protesters. This is Hamas official Ismail Radwan.

Ismail Radwan: “We call on our Arabic and Muslim nations to surround the Israeli and American embassies in the Arab countries, then drive the American and Israeli ambassadors out of the Arab countries. We are continuing our way of resistance, using all kinds of resistance to break this decision.”

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