Lendman on Jerusalem, Trump’s ridiculous declaration and the United Nations

UN General Assembly Rejects Trump’s Jerusalem Declaration

The vote should have been near-unanimous – every nation except rogue states America and Israel, complicit in Trump’s Jerusalem declaration. UN member states overwhelmingly rejected it – symbolically rendering it null and void only. The non-binding vote was adopted by a 128 member state majority, nine weak-kneed nations voting “no,” another 35 intimidated or bribed ones abstaining – 21 nations not voting, 65 countries in total failing to do the right thing.

UN Security Council in session.

Key “yes” votes came from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia – the P5+1 countries excluding America voting “no.”

Other nations against the resolution included Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Pauau and Togo.

Countries abstaining included Argentina, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Mexico, among others. [This short list of "abstaining nations"is a list of cowardice and political corruption. Dhame on Canada, Mexico and Argentina. Colombia is a pathetic vassal state, so the less said the better.—Ed.)

In November 2012, 138 nations voted in favor of giving UN nonmember state status to the “State of Palestine.”

Nine countries opposed the motion, 41 abstaining. On November 30, 151 nations supported a General Assembly resolution, condemning Israeli actions in Syria’s Golan and East Jerusalem, calling them “null and void.”

Six nations voted “no,” including America, Canada, Israel, and three Pacific island states. Nine nations abstained.

UN member states supporting the resolution called actions by Israel to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on Jerusalem illegal and therefore null and void.

The same goes for “the Syrian Golan.”

On Thursday, there was no doubt about UN member states voting overwhelmingly to reject Trump’s Jerusalem declaration.

It was just a matter of how overwhelming. It should have been near-unanimous, but every blow to US and Israeli interests is a step in the right direction – even symbolic ones like Thursday’s.

US and Israel v. the World on Jerusalem

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org)

[dropcap]J[/dropcap]erusalem is an international city – the capital of none. Neither Trump, Netanyahu or anyone else can change what UN Resolution 181 established in November 1947, before Israel became a member state.

UN Resolution 194 mandated free access to the city, other holy places, and right of return for diaspora Palestinians.

Resolution 273 gave Israel UN membership conditional on it accepting Resolutions 181 and 194, as well as “unreservedly (agreeing to honor) the obligations of the United Nations Charter.” From inception to now, Israel defied international laws at its discretion, showing contempt for the rule of law, brutalizing Palestinians throughout its existence. In response to Trump’s lawless Jerusalem declaration, Security Council members voted 14 – 1 in favor of respecting the “character, status (and) demographic composition of the Holy City” – America the sole outlier by its veto.

Today, General Assembly members will meet in a rare emergency special session (ESS) – a draft resolution similar to the Security Council one on Jerusalem expected to be adopted overwhelmingly. Neocon US UN envoy Nikki Haley vowed “to take names” of nations voting against Trump’s declaration. On Wednesday, Trump threatened to cut off foreign aid to nations supporting today’s General Assembly resolution on Jerusalem. It’ll hardly matter. America spends less than one percent of its annual budget on foreign aid. Most is military related, Israel by far the largest recipient.

About 85% of US aid goes to NGOs and government contractors serving US imperial interests, relatively small amounts directly to foreign governments. Except for Israel, virtually all US aid comes with strings, Washington the main beneficiary. Trump’s bluster won’t change things. Like most other federal officials, he has a disturbing habit of saying one thing and doing another. Co-opted by dark forces, he betrayed the public interest straightaway in office. He broke virtually every promise made about helping ordinary people, exclusively serving privileged ones, mainly Wall Street, the Pentagon, beneficiaries of militarism and belligerence, along with other corporate predators and large investors. He’s a first-class scoundrel, an unindicted war criminal, a rogue actor like the Clintons, Bush/Cheney and Obama. His recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital contemptuously defied international law and Palestinian rights. His threatened cutoff of aid to nations failing to support his lawlessness likely fell on deaf ears worldwide, further isolating America, Trump roaring:

“All these nations that take our money and then vote against us at the Security Council or the assembly, they take hundreds of millions of dollars and billions of dollars and they vote against.”

“Well, we’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot. We don’t care,” adding:

We’re “tired of this country being taken advantage of and we’re not going to be taken advantage of any longer.”

Abusive US practices take advantage of nations and ordinary people worldwide, not the other way around.

America is a pariah state, making more enemies than friends. Trump’s agenda and demagogic bombast made the deplorable state of America worse since he took office.

On Thursday, UN member states will respond to Trump, overwhelmingly rejecting his Jerusalem declaration, repudiating his deplorable action.