Trump Threatens Countries That Oppose His Decision on Jerusalem
U.S. president suggests he will cut aid to nations voting at U.N. for reversal of
Washington’s declaration on Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

By Felicia Schwartz in Washington and Farnaz Fassihi at the United Nations Updated Dec. 20, 2017 4:40 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to cut American aid to countries that back a United Nations resolution faulting the recent U.S. decision to declare Jerusalem Israel’s capital.

“We’re watching those votes,” Mr. Trump said at the start of a meeting of his cabinet on Wednesday. “Let them vote against us—we’ll save a lot. We don’t care.”

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley on Monday vetoing a resolution calling on the U.S. to rescind its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The question will be addressed anew in the General Assembly on Thursday.

The U.N. General Assembly will meet Thursday in an emergency session to vote on a measure the U.S. blocked earlier this week at the Security Council, which called on the Trump administration to rescind its decision to move the embassy and recognize Jerusalem as the capital. The measure had the support of all other members of the Security Council, including U.S. allies France and the U.K.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said Tuesday evening that the U.S. “will be taking names” at Thursday’s General Assembly vote.
President Trump's plan to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem is a calculated gamble, running the risk of stirring up protests and violence. WSJ's Gerald F. Seib explains why Mr. Trump thinks now is the time to act, when past administrations made similar promises but decided not to. Photo: AP

“We don’t expect those we’ve helped to target us,” Ms. Haley said on Twitter.

In Thursday’s vote, the U.N. resolution, sponsored by Egypt, is expected to pass with a wide majority of the body’s 196 nations voting in favor, according to diplomats say.

Ms. Haley U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley sent an email to ambassadors of U.N. member states on Tuesday saying she would report to Mr. Trump about any countries voting in favor of the resolution.

“We will take note of each and every vote on this issue,” Ms. Haley said in the letter to diplomats. “As you consider your vote, I want you to know that the president and the U.S. take this vote personally,” Ms. Haley told said in the letter to diplomats.

Some diplomats said they were stunned to receive her email, with one saying: “Stop digging your own hole. You will not change any votes.”
Mr. Trump, speaking alongside cabinet members, singled out Ms. Haley and her message to U.N. member states for praise.

“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,” he said.

“They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us,” he said.

The General Assembly has met only 10 times in emergency session since 1950, most recently in 2009 to discuss Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories. Resolutions passed by the Assembly are nonbinding, and, unlike in the Security Council, no country has a General Assembly veto.

The U.S. has taken stands at the U.N. over the past year that have put it at odds even with such close allies such as the U.K. and France on issues including climate change and the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement and migration.

Mr. Trump’s warning to slash American aid holds potential implications for key U.S. allies. Egypt, which introduced the draft resolution, is slated to receive $1.38 billion in U.S. aid in 2018.

Thursday’s vote at the General Assembly will come three days after the U.S. used its veto in the Security Council to quash a resolution calling for Mr. Trump to rescind his decision on Jerusalem. The other 14 members of the Council unanimously voted in favor of the resolution, arguing the future of Jerusalem must be decided in last-phase negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

The resolution up for vote on Thursday doesn’t directly name the U.S. or Mr. Trump. It reaffirms the status of Jerusalem as a disputed area and says all parties and individuals must rescind any unilateral decision on its status and to refrain from moving their diplomatic missions to the holy city.

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