President Trump threatens aid withdrawal over UN Jerusalem vote

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to withdraw financial aid from countries which back a United Nations resolution rejecting the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us," Trump told reporters at a cabinet meeting in the White House.

"We're watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care," he added.

Trump's remarks came after the U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley' s tweet saying that "the U.S. will be taking names" of those criticizing the U.S. choice at the UN General Assembly.

The UN General Assembly will meet for a rare emergency session to discuss the status of Jerusalem on Thursday after the United States vetoed earlier an Egypt-drafted request asking Washington to withdraw its decision to recognize the city as Israel's capital.

The United States on Monday vetoed a Security Council draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem.

All other 14 members of the Security Council voted in favor of the Egyptian-drafted text. But as the United States, which is a permanent member of the Security Council, has veto power, the draft resolution failed to be adopted.

Before the vote, Egyptian ambassador to the United Nations Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta explained that the draft resolution seeks to ensure that any attempts to alter the characteristics or demographic composition of the Old City of Jerusalem have no effect and are null and void, and must be rescinded.

The draft resolution also calls on all parties not to establish diplomatic missions in Jerusalem, he said.

According to UN sources, Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour said his country hoped that the General Assembly would draft a resolution urging the U.S. move to be withdrawn.

On Dec. 6, Trump declared that the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and will move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, triggering large-scale outrage in the Arab and Muslim world. Enditem