UN Vote on Quds Shows Decline in US Hegemony

A lawmaker said the strong condemnation of the US recognition of Beit-ul-Moqaddas as the Israeli capital by the United Nations General Assembly is indicative of the declining US hegemony in the world.

In a Friday talk with ICANA, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, a member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said "the resounding vote of UNGA indicates that the US could not align world nations with itself even through threat and blackmail."

The UN General Assembly adopted a motion rejecting the US decision to recognize Beit-ul-Moqaddas as Israel's capital on Thursday by a decisive vote of 128 to 9, with 35 abstentions.

The vote came despite threats and warnings from US and Israeli leaders, who were accused of bullying and blackmail.

US President Donald Trump had warned ahead of the vote in the 193-nation assembly that "we're watching" and threatened reprisals against countries that back the measure. On Wednesday, he had threatened to cut funding to countries that vote against the US on the motion.

Washington found itself isolated as many of its western and Arab allies voted for the measure. Some of those allies, such as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, are major recipients of US military or economic aid.

The UNGA vote came on the heels of another vote on the proposed measure at the Security Council last week that had been vetoed by United States. Other members had voted for that resolution.

US Ambassador to UN Nikki Haley later described the 14-1 vote "an insult" and warned "it won't be forgotten".

  Unwise Policies

Denouncing Trump's "ill-considered policies", Falahatpisheh said the vote sent a clear message to the US president that his bullying approaches will not yield any results.

Echoing that view, lawmaker Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said the message of the resolution is that the world community will no longer tolerate reckless US moves.

Hosseini said that "although it was clear the US would veto the measure in the UN Security Council, the General Assembly strongly voted against aggressive and meddling US policies, which ran counter to all international laws."

Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif welcomed the move by the UN General Assembly, calling it a "global no" to intimidation by Trump.

Zarif tweeted after the vote that the resolution soundly criticizes "Trump regime's thuggish intimidation at UN".

Earlier this month, Trump reversed decades of US policy by announcing that the United States recognizes the holy city as the capital of Israel and would move its embassy there.

The decision prompted an outpouring of anger in the Muslim and Arab world, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets to denounce Israel and show solidarity with the Palestinians across the Muslim world and occupied lands in what has been termed as a new intifada (uprising).

Palestinian Health Ministry said on Thursday that clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli occupation forces have killed around 11 people and injured more than 3,300 in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.