The United Nations Security Council will vote this week on a draft resolution that says any decision on the status of Jerusalem should have no legal effect, Reuters reported.
The text of the resolution was drafted by Egypt and circulated to the 15-member council on Saturday, 10 days after United States President Donald Trump overturned decades of US policy towards the West Asian region and formally recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Trump also said the US will move its Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
After Trump’s decision, Arab foreign ministers said they would seek a UN Security Council resolution.
The resolution, which was accessed by Reuters, does not mention the United States or Trump. It “demands that all states comply with Security Council resolutions regarding the Holy City of Jerusalem, and not to recognise any actions or measures contrary to those resolutions”. It calls upon all countries to refrain establishing diplomatic missions in Jerusalem.
While the resolution has the support of several countries, the US is likely to veto it during the vote, diplomats said. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass. However, even if the draft is not adopted, it would further isolate Trump over the Jerusalem issue.
Trump’s announcement broke with years of precedent on the sensitive subject. Israel considers Jerusalem an indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there.
Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed. A majority of countries do not recognise Israel’s claim to the whole of Jerusalem, where several Christian, Muslim and Jewish holy sites are located.
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