The United States vetoed a draft resolution at the UN Security Council to reaffirm Jerusalem's status as unresolved on Monday, following US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize the city as Israel's capital.

The remaining 14 council members voted in favor of the Egyptian-drafted resolution.

The draft needed nine backing votes from the Council's 14 members to pass, including no vetoes from the permanent members: the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China.

"What we witnessed here today in the Security Council is an insult. It won't be forgotten," said US Ambassador Nikki Haley, describing the measure as "one more example of the United Nations doing more harm than good in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

Haley said it was the first veto cast by the United States in the Security Council in more than six years.

"We do it with no joy, but we do it with no reluctance," she said. "The fact that this veto is being done in defense of American sovereignty and in defense of America's role in the Middle East peace process is not a source of embarrassment for us. It should be an embarrassment to the remainder of the Security Council."

While the draft resolution did not directly mention Trump or the United States, it expressed "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem."

Read more: UN to vote on resolution rejecting US Jerusalem decision

The drafted resolution, put forward by Egypt, said any "decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded."

Palestine to seek UN General Assembly support

It had been expected that the United States would veto the vote. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said Palestine would seek support for the measure at the General Assembly if the Haley exercised Washington's veto.

Malki said in a statement that while Haley considered "the veto a source of pride and strength, we will show her their position is isolated and rejected internationally."

The five permanent members of the Security Council have veto power, but there are no vetoes at the General Assembly.

Read more: Two reasons behind Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital

Arab News quoted Ambassador Riyad Mansour as saying that the Palestinians and Egyptians had worked closely with Security Council members while drafting the resolution to ensure that it would get overwhelming support.

The Palestinians had the option of invoking a rarely used article of the UN Charter that calls for parties to a dispute not to cast a veto, Arab News reported. But, it said, they were more likely to take the issue to the General Assembly under Resolution 377A, known as the "Uniting for Peace" resolution.

Resolution 377A was passed in 1950 and used to authorize the deployment of US troops to fight in the Korean War.

Mansour said Palestinians resorted to the "Uniting for Peace" resolution in the 1990s after Israel began building a settlement on Jabal Abut Ghnaim, a hilltop on occupied West Bank land south of Jerusalem, but left that session in suspension. However, they could seek a resumption of the session, he said.

"If the resolution is vetoed, the Palestinian delegation can send a letter to the UN Secretary-General and ask him to resume the emergency session," he said, according to Arab News.

Read more: Jerusalem: Three things to know

The UN General Assembly is expected to hold a plenary session on Tuesday, including a discussion on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

Protests worldwide

Muslims worldwide respond to Palestinian call for protests Clashes with police A Palestinian protester hurls stones toward Israeli police during clashes near the Jewish settlement of Beit Al, close to the West Bank city of Ramallah. Palestinians called for a "day of rage" in response to US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. At least two protesters were killed on Friday during clashes with security forces.

Muslims worldwide respond to Palestinian call for protests Protests following prayers Jerusalem itself has seen some of the largest protests, as here in front of the Dome of the Rock Islamic shrine at the al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City. Hundreds of additional police were deployed to control the masses of protesters after Palestinian calls for protests after Friday prayers.

Muslims worldwide respond to Palestinian call for protests Protests reach Iraq And those calls for protest have received a response from Shiite Muslims in Iraq. These men have taken to the streets in the southern city of Basra. Palestinians are angry because they want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state; Trump's move, supported by Israel, could thwart that desire.

Muslims worldwide respond to Palestinian call for protests Israeli and US flags burned Indian-controlled Kashmir also saw protests, with Muslim men seen here burning Israeli and US flags during a rally in Budgam, southwest of Srinagar. Protesters marched in several places in Srinagar and other parts of the region after Friday prayers, chanting slogans such as "Down with America" and "Down with Israel."

Muslims worldwide respond to Palestinian call for protests 'Long live Islam' In Malaysia, more than 1,000 Muslims protested outside the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur against Trump's decision. The protesters, led by Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, marched from a nearby mosque after Friday prayers to the US Embassy, halting traffic as they chanted "Long live Islam.”

Muslims worldwide respond to Palestinian call for protests Turkey: Protesters voice their indignation These Turkish women are venting their anger in support of the Palestinian cause. But Trump's decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem has been condemned by many governments of non-Muslim countries as well.

Muslims worldwide respond to Palestinian call for protests Trump's picture burned Protesters in Egypt burn a picture of US President Donald Trump with his face crossed during a protest in front of the Syndicate of Journalists in Cairo. The picture reads, "Journalists are telling you Trump, Jerusalem is Arab." Hundreds of protesters also gathered in Al-Azhar mosque and outside in its courtyard.

Muslims worldwide respond to Palestinian call for protests 'Stop your blind support'! In Jakarta, Indonesia, protesters in the world's most populous Muslim nation wear Palestine headbands. More than 300 protesters shouted "Go to hell Israel!" and called on Trump to stop his "blind support" for the Jewish state.

Muslims worldwide respond to Palestinian call for protests Massive marches in Iran The streets of the Iranian capital, Tehran, have also been the scene of huge protests at the US decision. As an arch-enemy of Israel, the Iranian government is likely to view the US move as particularly offensive.

Muslims worldwide respond to Palestinian call for protests Muslims in Germany join the outrage Germany has also seen protests, with mostly Muslim demonstrators attending a rally at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate while waving Palestinian and Turkish flags. The German government has been among those to warn urgently against Trump's move. Author: Timothy Jones



Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, as well as move the US Embassy to the city from Tel Aviv, sparked widespread anger and protests among Palestinians and Muslim communities worldwide.

On Sunday, more than 80,000 Indonesians took to the streets of the country's capital Jakarta to protest against the decision.

Israel seized control of the eastern part of Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and sees the whole of Jerusalem as its indivisible capital. The Palestinians view the east as the capital of a future state.

Israel has long accused the United Nations of bias against it in its conflict with the Palestinians and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's move again on Sunday.

US Vice President Mike Pence will visit Jerusalem on Wednesday. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has scrapped a meeting with Pence in protest at the Jerusalem announcement, and will instead head to Saudi Arabia to meet King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

law/tj (AFP, Reuters)