US to hold ‘thank you’ reception for countries that voted with it at UN

Haley invited the 65 countries that supported the US in a General Assembly vote, which denounced Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, to a reception.

By: World Israel News Staff

US Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Nikki Haley sent an invitation Thursday to the 65 countries that voted in favor of President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital at the UN General Assembly.

Haley’s email, obtained by Fox News, invites the countries that voted no, abstained from voting or did not cast a vote “to a reception to thank you for your friendship to the United States.”

The General Assembly voted 128-9, with 35 abstentions, in favor of declaring Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital “null and void.” Twenty-one countries were absent during the vote.

Earlier Thursday, Haley, tweeted her appreciation to the countries that voted in favor of the US “for not falling to the irresponsible ways of the UN.”

Prior to the vote, Haley warned member states not to vote against it, saying, “there’ll be a vote criticizing our choice. The US will be taking names.”

Echoing Haley’s statements, Trump threatened to slash aid to nations that vote against the US.

“We’re watching those votes,” Trump warned on Wednesday during a Cabinet meeting. “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 and nobody knows what they’re doing.”

Responding to the vote, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that “Israel completely rejects this preposterous resolution. Jerusalem is our capital. Always was, always will be.”

The Israeli leader expressed appreciation for the fact that “a growing number of countries refused to participate in this theater of the absurd. So I appreciate that, and especially I want to again express our thanks to President Trump and Ambassador Haley, for their stalwart defense of Israel and their stalwart defense of the truth.”