Alert: UN Reviewing Option to Overrule Trump
A draft United Nations Security Council resolution could seek to override Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Reuters reports.
The resolution, drafted by Egypt, “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status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council,” according to the text.
The one page draft has already been circulated around the 15-member Security Council.
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The move comes after Trump announced that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which — as The Hill notes — no U.S. administration has done in the seven decades of the Jewish state’s existence.
Trump’s directive isn’t just symbolic. According to CNN, it would involve building a new embassy in Jerusalem as — as Trump put it — “a magnificent tribute to peace.”
While Jerusalem is the administrative capital of Israel for all intents and purposes, most nations recognize Tel Aviv as its official capital, as the Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital, too — should they ever actually form a state. Thus, it’s considered impolitic in liberal circles to officially say that Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish state.
However, the Trump administration calls the recognition long overdue.
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“This is just a reality check,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on CNN last week regarding the decision. “This is nothing that anybody didn’t already know.”
Reality checks aren’t usually en vogue among the Palestinians, which is why they’ve been rioting since the decision was announced.
Another place where reality checks aren’t usually en vogue: the United Nations, which is why you see this sort of draft resolution circulating.
At the moment, the move is mostly symbolic. The United States can and will use its veto vote should the resolution go before the full Security Council.
However, keep in mind that this is just because the Trump administration is in power.
If a Democrat is elected in the future, such a move by the U.N. could be used to reverse the decision without incurring the political firestorm that would come from making the decision openly. Democrats in power in the White House could just let the U.N. make the decision for them — the same way that the Obama administrationlet the Security Council condemn settlements.
The very fact that nations in the Arab world are already looking for a way to delegitimize and overrule the Trump administration’s decision should be incredibly worrying to both friends of Israel and those concerned about American sovereignty.
That’s because the United Nations has become a grave enemy to both. While the U.N. is supposed to foster peace, we instead see it being used increasingly used as an instrument against both us and the most persecuted state on earth.
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It’s not enough for the U.S. delegation to veto this resolution. The United States needs to condemn it in the strongest possible terms.
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How do you think the Trump administration should react to this draft resolution?
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