Nikki Haley is inviting 65 Countries who didn’t vote for a UN resolution condemning the US’ decision to relocate the US embassy to Israel to Jerusalem to a “friendship” party.  The move comes after 128 countries backed a motion declaring the decision as having “no legal effect” and as being “null and void.”

President Trump declared Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel earlier this month and ordered the State Department to begin making preparations to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  The status of Jerusalem is considered a “final status” issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with any resolution to be agreed upon in the context of a broader and comprehensive peace agreement between the two sides.  The President’s decision was widely condemned by parties as wide ranging as Great Britain, Saudi Arabia, China and the Pope. 

Before the vote, Haley, the US’ ambassador to the UN, had threatened UN member nations by saying that the US would be “taking names” of countries voting in favor of the resolution.  She also threatened the UN itself with defunding by saying that America “will remember this day” when “we are called upon once again to make the world’s largest contribution to the United Nations.”

Only nine countries actually voted against the resolution.  Thirty-five abstained and 21 did not cast a vote.  In addition to declaring the US’ decision null and void, the UN resolution also calls on all UN member nations to refrain from establishing diplomatic missions in Jerusalem pursuant to relevant UN Security Council resolutions.