The Palestinian Authority and the Arab League may approach the United Nations General Assembly with a request for a resolution against President Donald Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as the US-recognized capital of Israel.
The Arab League issued a statement in Cairo on Saturday after an emergency session, calling Trump’s act “a dangerous violation of international law,” and said it would seek the said resolution.
The UN General Assembly does not have enforcement authority like the UN Security Council, but it is unlikely that with the US being one of five nations to hold veto power in the UNSC, such a resolution would be allowed to pass.
Nevertheless, a strong diplomatic statement from the UNGA could still have far-reaching implications.
In defense of President Trump’s announcement, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said on CBS’s Face the Nation that the decision was “the will of the American people” and was “the right thing to do.”
She added: “Courage breeds leadership. What you saw was a courageous move by the president. And of course any time you have to use courage, any time you have to go against the status quo, you’re going to have people saying the sky is falling.
“But the sky is not falling. If anything, what we’re going to see is both sides are going to come to the table. They’re going to decide what they think Jerusalem should look like. And we’re going to support that process.”
Israel also defended Trump’s move, with Danny Danon, Israeli Ambassador to the UN in New York, telling The Jerusalem Post:
“In response to the historic American announcement about Jerusalem, the Palestinians and their supporters are seeking to incite in the halls of the UN.
“Instead of criticizing this courageous American act, the UN should instead unequivocally condemn the Palestinian rockets and stabbings against innocent Israelis.”
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