Off the wire
China meets shanty town transformation target ahead of schedule  • China, Thailand inaugurate construction of high-speed railway in Thailand  • Roundup: S. Korean political heavyweight stresses six-party talks for denuclearized Korean Peninsula  • Ethiopia repatriates over 14,000 citizens from Saudi Arabia in one month  • China's central bank drains liquidity from market  • Bayern still need Robben and Ribery, but for how long?  • Roundup: S. Africa's ruling party's national conference closes, new leader calls for unity  • Dollar climbs to mid-113 yen zone on BOJ easing expectations  • DPRK rejects U.S. accusation of being responsible for WannaCry cyber attack  • China to ease market access controls on foreign investment  
You are here:  

Israeli PM slams UN as "house of lies" ahead of Jerusalem vote

Xinhua,December 21, 2017 Adjust font size:

JERUSALEM, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the United Nations as the "house of lies" ahead of a UN vote on Thursday against the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"The State of Israel flatly rejects this vote even before it is held," the Israeli leader said. "Jerusalem is our capital. We will continue to build in it and foreign embassies, led by the U.S. embassy, will move to Jerusalem. It will happen."

He also thanked U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened Wednesday to cut aid to countries that will vote in favor of the UN resolution.

The UN General Assembly is set to vote on a resolution on Thursday, calling the United States to withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Trump's announcement on Jerusalem's status on Dec. 6 triggered violent clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza Strip as well as widespread international protests.

Israel seized East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it shortly later, a move which was not recognized by the international community. Enditem