WASHINGTON -

Israel was one of only two countries who stood by the United States on Wednesday at a United Nations General Assembly vote to lift the American trade embargo on Cuba.

The vote in the 192-member world body was 185 to 3, with 2 abstentions. The US, Israel and Palau voted "no" while Micronesia and the Marshall Islands abstained.

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That was one more "yes" vote than last year's vote of 184 to 4 with 1 abstention, and when the final vote flashed on the screen in the General Assembly chamber, there was loud applause.

"We proudly voted with the US, at a time where most of the world showed solidarity with Cuba," said Israel's Deputy UN Ambassador Daniel Carmon, "the decision was made by a solid majority, which is similar to the automatic majority against us in Palestinian decisions."

"When the vote was over, applause and shouts were heard, which is unacceptable in the UN," he added.

Wednesday's approval of the resolution was the 17th straight year that the General Assembly called for the embargo against Cuba to be repealed "as soon as possible."

"We expect that the new president will change the policy toward Cuba," Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque told the Associated Press in an interview following the vote.

Referring to the race pitting Democrat Barack Obama against Republican John McCain, Perez Roque said he hopes the next American leader "treats Cuba with respect, lifts the blockade, and hears the message that the UN sent today."

The United States has no diplomatic relations with Cuba, lists the country as a state sponsor of terror and has long sought to isolate it through travel restrictions and a trade embargo. The embargo, imposed in 1962, has been tightened during President Bush's two terms.