Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday asked US President Donald Trump to reverse his decision recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital after a UN vote overwhelming rejected the move.
Erdogan had earlier called on UN member states not to be swayed by Trump’s threat to cut funding for countries that backed the motion at the UN General Assembly.
“We welcome with great pleasure the UN General Assembly’s overwhelming support… we expect the Trump administration to rescind without further delay its unfortunate decision, whose illegality has been clearly established,” Erdogan said on Twitter.
“I am calling on the whole world: never sell your democratic will in return for petty dollars,” he had said in a televised speech in Ankara before the vote.
The US decision on December 6 broke with international consensus and unleashed protests across the Muslim world, prompting a flurry of appeals to the United Nations.
At an emergency session on Thursday, the UN General Assembly adopted the motion rejecting Trump’s decision by 128 votes to nine, with 35 abstentions.
The measure was sent to the General Assembly after it was vetoed by the US at the Security Council on Monday, though all other 14 council members voted in favour.
Trump warned that Washington would closely watch how nations voted, suggesting there could even be reprisals for countries that backed the motion which was put forward by Yemen and Turkey on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries.
Erdogan accused Trump of making “threats”.
“How do they call America? The cradle of democracy. The cradle of democracy is seeking to find will in the world that can be bought with dollars,” he said.
“Mr Trump you cannot buy with dollars Turkey’s democratic will. Our decision is clear,” he said.
Palestinians welcome support
The Palestinian president welcomed the UN resolution criticising the US government’s controversial recognition of Jerusalem.
“This decision reaffirms once again that the just Palestinian cause enjoys the support of international law, and no decision by any party can change the reality,” a statement from Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s spokesman said, stressing it showed “that Jerusalem is occupied territory under international law”.
“We will continue our efforts in the United Nations and all international forums to end the occupation and create a Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem,” the statement added.
The Palestinian movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, said it was a blow to Israel’s attempts to “judaise” Jerusalem.
In a statement the party called the vote “a step in the right direction, a victory of Palestinian rights and a blow to the Trump declaration”.