More than 120 UN member countries voted to condemn US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel – a striking number, but one which may have been higher if not for the President's threats.

On the eve of the vote, Mr Trump warned member nations not to support the resolution, threatening to revoke US aid to the countries who defied him.

“Let them vote against us,” he told reporters at a Cabinet meeting. “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.”

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley also warned that she would be “taking names” of those countries that supported the resolution.

"As you consider your vote, I want you to know that the President and US take this vote personally," she wrote in a letter to her fellow members. "The President will be watching this vote carefully and has requested I report back on those countries who voted against us."

In the end, Ms Haley had to take down the names of 128 countries who voted to render Mr Trump’s decision “null and void”. Nine countries – including the US and Israel – voted no, while 35 abstained.

The United Nations General Assembly votes 128-9 to declare the United States' Jerusalem capital recognition 'null and void'

The official UN position is that Jerusalem is a "final status" issue to be decided at the end of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. No member country bases their embassy in Jerusalem – something Mr Trump said the US has plans to do in the future.

The number of countries that rebuked Mr Trump, while significant, was smaller than some had anticipated. Major US aid recipients like Uganda, Honduras, and South Sudan all abstained from the vote. All three had previously voted to admit Palestine as a non-voting observer state to the UN.

Ms Haley made it clear in a tweet that she counted these abstentions as a vote of support for the US, writing: “The vote is in - 65 countries refused to condemn the United States and 128 voted against us.”

Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Show all 22 1 /22 Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of Difa-e-Pakistan Council a coalition of right wing Islamic parties, burn an effigy of US President Donald Trump, during a protest in Quetta, Pakistan EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Israeli police scuffle with a Palestinian protester outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City Getty Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters burn pictures of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu following Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Israeli forces disperse Palestinian protesters outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on 7 December 2017 AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organization, chant slogans as they burn Israeli and US flags during a protest against Donald Trump in Peshawar REUTERS Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinians paint an 'X' over the face of a picture of US president Donald J. Trump which was painted on the Israeli separation wall in Bethlehem EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protestors burn the Israeli flag and a poster of US President Donald Trump in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of a Pakistani religious party rally against Donald Trump in Lahore AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters burn the US and Israeli flags in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital A poster depicting U.S. President Donald Trump is burnt during a protest against Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the West Bank city of Ramallah REUTERS Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Israeli forces detain a Palestinian protester during clashes that followed protests against US President Donald Trump recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Hebron AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters burn an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters shout slogans against Donald Trump EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital A Palestinian protester wears a Guy Fawkes mask used by the anonymous movement during clashes with Israeli troops in Hebron AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian demonstrators clash with Isralei troops during protests AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of a Pakistani religious party chant anti-American slogans during a rally in Islamabad, Pakistan AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Pakistanis burn a representation of the U.S. flag during a protest rally in Hyderabad AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Young Palestinian women look on as smoke billows from burning tyres as fellow Palestinian demonstrators clash with Isralei troops AFP/Getty Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Protesters burn a picture of U.S. President Donald Trump at a protest in Islamabad REUTERS Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Protestors shouts slogans against US President Donald Trump as they hold Palestinian and Turkish flags during a protest near the US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protestors put their feet over a picture of US president Donald Trump during a protest in the West Bank City of Nablus EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Pakistani protesters burn tires at an anti-Donald Trump rally in Multan AP

Also notable were the countries that did not show up to the vote at all: Kenya, which was the fifth-largest recipient of US aid last year; and Georgia and Ukraine, both of which have strong ties to the US.

The largest recipients of US aid, however, appeared to be undeterred. Top aid recipients like Afghanistan, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Tanzania all voted in favour of the resolution.

It remains unclear whether Mr Trump will follow through on his promise to cut aid from these countries. UN Expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations Richard Gowan told The Independent that the US "will probably make some token aid cuts", but dramatically slashing humanitarian aid would likely hurt the US in regions or on issues where it needs multilateral cooperation.