Reiterating its stand on the issue, India, on Thursday voted against the decision of the US to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Despite the threats from the Trump administration against countries opposing the US decision, India voted in favor of a resolution calling for the US to withdraw its decision along with 127 other countries.
The resolution tabled by Turkey and Yemen was passed by 128 votes against 9. While the US, Israel, Honduras, Guatemala, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Togo and Micronesia voted against the resolution, 35 countries abstained from voting.
Australia, Bhutan, Canada, Columbia, Hungry, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, Poland, and Uganda were the important countries that abstained.
Washington’s decision earlier this month to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel had created ripples across the world with the majority of the Muslin nations criticizing the US.
India had made it clear that its position on Palestine was independent and not determined by a third country.
Commenting on the issue, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had stated: “India’s position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country.”
Though the resolution didn’t specifically mention the US, it stated that the issue must be resolved through negotiations.
“The Palestinians have the right to their own state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said while speaking at the meeting.
“This is the main parameter and only hope for a just and lasting peace in the region. However, the recent decision of a UN Member State to recognize Jerusalem, or Al-Quds, as the capital of Israel, violates international law, including all relevant UN resolutions,” Cavusoglu added.
Warning the countries that voted against the US decision, Nikki Haley, the Indian American US Ambassador to the UN said that the US may consider stopping funding of those nations.
“The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly. We will remember it when we are called upon to, once again, make the world’s largest contribution to the United Nations,” Haley told the General Assembly.
“America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do, and it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference in how Americans view the UN,” she added.