UN Security Council weighs resolution saying Jerusalem decisions are void

The United Nations (U.N.) Security Council is weighing a draft resolution that would essentially seek to nullify any move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The resolution, drafted by Egypt and circulated among the Security Council’s 15 members, does not directly mention the United States or President Trump, who moved last week to acknowledge Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city, according to Reuters, which viewed a copy of the text.

To be sure, any effort by the Security Council to call for the U.S. decision to be withdrawn would be largely symbolic. As one of the body’s five permanent members, the U.S. wields veto power over any resolution, and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley is almost certain to shoot the measure down.

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Still, the resolution has wide support on the council, according to Reuters, and the body could vote as soon as Monday or Tuesday on the matter. It would need at least nine votes to pass. A veto from the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, Russia or China would effectively kill the resolution.

According to Reuters, the resolution “affirms that 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status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council.”

Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last week reversed seven decades of U.S. foreign policy and drew a swift rebuke from Arab and Muslim-majority countries, who warned that the move could undermine stability in the region.

What’s more, the move also threw into jeopardy future peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, which Trump has vowed to broker. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other regional leaders declared after Trump’s announcement that the U.S. had essentially disqualified itself from overseeing such negotiations.

Jerusalem is revered by Muslims, Christians and Jews, and its status has long been the subject of controversy. Palestinians have also aspired to declare the city’s eastern portion as the capital of a future independent state.

The international community has long declined to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and countries have stationed their embassies in Tel Aviv. Trump also announced last week that he would direct the State Department to begin the process of moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, though doing so will likely take years.