Member countries of the United Nations condemned the United States’ move to declare Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel, The New York Times reported. The ambassadors of Sweden, Egypt, Britain, France and Bolivia, among others, said US President Donald Trump’s announcement had subverted the two-state solution to the conflict in Palestine.

At an emergency meeting of the United Nations called to discuss the announcement, Bolivia’s envoy Sacha Sergio Llorenty Solíz demanded that the world body take action against the US. Otherwise, he said, “the UN Security Council will become an occupied territory”.

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The ambassadors of Britain, France, Sweden, Germany and Italy issued a joint statement after the meeting condemning the US’ decision about Jerusalem. They said it was “not in line with UN Security Council resolutions” and was unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region.”

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, however, accused the world body of hostility towards Israel. The organisation “has outrageously been one of the world’s foremost centres of hostility towards Israel”, BBC reported her as saying.

Haley said the decision “recognises the obvious: that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel”. “Israel will never be, and never should be, bullied into an agreement by the United Nations or by any collection of countries that have proven their disregard for Israel’s security,” she added.

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Two Palestinians killed in Gaza

The Israeli Army shot dead two Palestinians protesting Trump’s decision on Friday. A third person is in critical condition after being shot in the head, The Guardian reported.

Israeli planes bombed militant targets in Gaza late on Friday, in response to a rocket fired at nearby Israeli towns. The Palestinian health ministry said that at least 25 people, including six children, had been wounded in Israel’s strikes.