United Nations resolution rejects Trump's Jerusalme declaration

The UN General Assembly has decisively voted for a resolution effectively rendering the US declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital "null and void" and calling on the US to withdraw its recognition as well.

The non-binding vote by 128 against 9 who voted against the resolution called on the US to cancel its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

35 States abstained from the vote while 21 nations did not turn up for the vote.

The vote, which is a victory for the Palestinians, was significantly lower than its supporters had hoped for, with many forecasting at least 150 "yes" votes. 

But this might be as a result of a threat by US President Donald Trump to cut financial aid to those who backed the resolution.

Here's how they voted;

• Nine who voted against the resolution were the US, Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo.
• Among the 35 abstaining were Canada, Australia, Zambia and Mexico.
• Those who voted in favour included the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia and the UK) as well as key US allies in the Muslim world.
• 21 countries did not turn up for the vote.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the result, saying: "The vote is a victory for Palestine.

The 193-member UN General Assembly held the rare emergency special session at the request of Arab and Muslim states, who condemned Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The Palestinians called for the meeting after the US vetoed a Security Council resolution that was similar to the text approved on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has completely rejected the resolution.

Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video posted to Facebook that Jerusalem "always was, always will be" Israel's capital. He also says he appreciates that "a growing number of countries refuse to participate in this theatre of the absurd."

Mr Netanyahu also thanked Trump for his "stalwart defence of Israel." 

The United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Nimrata Haley in a Twitter post, appreciated those countries who abstained from the vote.

We appreciate these countries for not falling to the irresponsible ways of the @UN: pic.twitter.com/a0hUTepD8H

— Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 21, 2017

Nikki in a speech before the vote, stressed that the US decision did not prejudge any final status issues, and did not preclude a two-state solution if the parties agreed to that.

The United States will remember this day, on which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation," she said.

America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do. And it is the right thing to do. No vote in the Untied Nations will make any difference on that, she said.

The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of Israel's conflict with the Palestinians.

Israel occupied the east of the city in the 1967 Middle East war and regards the entire city as its indivisible capital.