Maldives cosponsors Palestine resolution despite US threat

Maldives has cosponsored the resolution submitted to the United Nations General Assembly criticizing the decision to United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Countries will be voting on the resolution – which declares the status of Jerusalem can be changed only by direct negotiations between Palestine and Israel – at the UN General Assembly this Thursday.

The US has threatened to cut off funding to any country which votes in favor of the resolution.

Ali Naseer Mohamed, the Maldivian ambassador to US and ambassador and permanent representative of Maldives to UN, tweeted ahead of Thursday’s vote that Maldives has cosponsored the resolution submitted by the Arab states.

He also said the Maldives will be delivering a statement at the session reiterating its stand recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem will take center stage at UNGA today #Maldives co-sponsored Resolution declaring null & void any action to alter status of the Holy City. Maldives will deliver a statement at the Session reiterating its position that EastJerusalem as the Capital of Palestine #Mdv4UNS

— Ali Naseer Mohamed (@AlinyMohamed) December 21, 2017

Both US President Donald Trump and US ambassador to UN Nikki Haley have publicly warned countries against voting for the resolution.

"For all these nations, they take our money and then vote against us. They take hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions of dollars and then they vote against us," Trump told reporters at a Cabinet meeting in Washington with Haley sitting nearby. "We're watching those votes. Let them vote against us."

The threat follows the US veto of a resolution which was supported by 14 other UN Security Council members. If the resolution had passed, it would have required Trump to rescind his declaration on Jerusalem as Israel's capital and not move the US Embassy there.

Unlike the Security Council, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding. But they do reflect world opinion.