Trump's aid threats dismissed at UN Jerusalem vote

By Gulbin Yildirim

WASHINGTON (AA) – The countries that benefitted the U.S. humanitarian aid the most -- except Israel -- voted in favor of a UN resolution on Jerusalem Thursday, despite threats from President Donald Trump to cut aids.

The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted the resolution that rejected the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, calling on the Trump administration to reverse its move.

A total of 128 members voted in favor of the Jerusalem resolution, nine countries voted against and 35 others abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote.

According to data compiled by Anadolu Agency reporter from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the nine of ten aid-receiving countries voted in favor of the UN resolution, with one abstention.

Iraq tops the highest amount worth $5.28 billion, followed by Afghanistan with $5.06 billion. Egypt, the first country to propose the Jerusalem resolution to the U.N., receives $1.23 billion.

The other countries benefitting from the U.S. support are Jordan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania and South Sudan which abstained in the voting.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to cut aid to countries who voted in favor of the Jerusalem resolution on Wednesday.

At the White House, Trump said: "They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us. Well, we’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot. We don’t care.

"But this isn’t like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars,” he added.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said she will be “taking names” of countries who vote in favor of the resolution.

Israel, Honduras, Togo, U.S., Palau, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, and Guatemala voted against the Jerusalem resolution.

Two-thirds of the UN member states including Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Spain and Greece voted in favor of the resolution.