Trump Threatens to Cut Financial Aid to UN Members Opposing Jerusalem Move

The United States (US) president Donald Trump threatened to cut off financial aid to countries of UN security council which backed a resolution opposing his declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot. We don’t care,” Trump told reports at the White House on Wednesday.

Trump declared earlier this month that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, a move that sparked an uproar among the international community. Key allies to the US also opposed the decision including France and Germany. The declaration resulted in protests erupting across the Middle East countries including Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia.

“They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us. Well, we’re watching those votes. We’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us,” Trump continued to reporters.

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, warned UN members that the US “will be taking names” of countries that vote in favour of a General Assembly resolution that aims to declare Jerusalem status as “unchangeable” except by Palestinian-Israeli direct negotiations.

Following Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem, Egypt filed a draft resolution –on behalf of Arab states– to the UN security council to force US president Donald Trump to rescind his declaration that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

However, the US vetoed the resolution and became the sole country in the council to vote against it.

Egypt is a recipient of US aid. In August, the US  decided to delay $US 195 million in military aid and about $US 95.7 million in other aid to Egypt, citing a failure to achieve relevant progress in its human rights record and democratic norms.

Later on, Trump said that the US will consider resuming its suspended military aid to Egypt.