By Matthew Russell Lee, Photos
UNITED NATIONS, January 3 -- The US Mission to the UN held a reception on January 3 to thank for their friendship with the US the countries which on Jerusalem voted with the US, abstained or didn't vote at all. Inner City Press, which covered that December 21 vote in the UN General Assembly, went to see who accepted Ambassador Nikki Haley's invitation.
Periscope video here.
Canada's Ambassador Marc-André Blanchard stopped and spoke, photo here; some other Ambassadors rushed in declining any comment.
This was not the case with Hungary's Katalin Bogyay, who also greeted Nikki Haley in the General Assembly on December 21, nor Volodymyr Yelchenko of Ukraine, which didn't vote in the GA, after voting with the other 13 members of the Security Council later in the month. Ukraine's replacement on the Security Council, Poland, abstained in the GA and attended on January 3.
Israel Danny Danon arrived and spoke; a man accompanying him was asked for his ID but it was eventually solved. Inner City Press was the only media in front of the Mission as 7 pm approached, closing hour of the UN Visitors Entrance it is still forced to use for covering UN corruption. So this story will have to be continued.
Previously, UN senior administration officials confirmed to the Press at 5:30 pm on December 5 that President Trump would on December 6 not only recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital but also order the US State Department to act to move its embassy there. After that happened, the US on December 18 vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution that sought to call Trump's decision null and void. A General Assembly meeting was set for today on a similar draft, below, with the same "null and void" language. After speeches, see below, and after Mali and Afghanistan dropped out as sponsors, the resolution passed 128 in favor, nine against and 35 abstaining. Photo here - including countries simply not voting, including DR Congo, Myanmar, CAR, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, El Salvador, Mongolia, Moldovia, Zambia, Timor Leste, Sao Tome, Sierra Leone, Samoa (their UNGA seat was empty), Georgia - and Ukraine, which voted Yes in UNSC. Inner City Press, arriving early, was told by sources that a request by Israel and the US to place replica coins on each desk ran into opposition. Inner City Press asked the Secretariat and PGA spokespeople for comment. Secretariat's Dujarric had or said he had nothing; the PGA's said it was Secretariat's DCACM's branch chief's call. We'll have more on this. Before the more, Nikki Haley spoke, then Danny Danon. Here is InnerCityPro.com's fast summary: Haley: The UN has long been a hostile place for the state of Israel. It’s a wrong that undermines the credibility of this institution, and that in turn is harmful for the entire world. I’ve often wondered why Israel has chosen to remain a member of this body. Israel must stand up for its own survival as a nation. But it also stands for the dieals of freedom and human dignity that the UN is supposed to be about. The US is by far the single largest contributor to the UN and its agencies. We do this in part to advance our values and our interests. We do this because it represents who we are. It is our American way. But when we make generous contributions to the UN, we expect that our goodwill is recognized. When a nation is singled out for attack, that nation is disrespected What’s more, that nation is asked to pay for the privilege of being disrespected. We have an obligation to acknowledge when our political and financial capital is being poorly spent. And if our investment fails, we have an obligation to spend our investment in other way. The decision [to move the embassy] was in accordance with US law dating back to 1995. the decision does not preclude a 2-state solution, if the parties agree. The decision does nothing to harm peace efforts. The decision reflects the will of the American people and our right to choose the location of our embassy. The US will remember this day, on which it was singled out for attack for the very act of exercizing our sovereign right as a nation. American will put our embassy in Jerusalem. No vote in the UN will make any difference. But this vote will make a difference in how Americans look at the UN, and how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN. And this vote will be remembered. Israel's Danon: Jerusalem is the holiest place on earth for the Jewish people. King David declared Jerusalem the city of the Jewish people 3,000 years ago. The Jewish bible mentions Jerusalem 660 times. Our prayers recall Jerusalem’s holy name over and over again. I am holding an original coin. It’s from 67 AD. It says in Hebrew, “freedom of Zion.” It proves the ancient connection of Jews to Jerusalem. Our connection to Jerusalem is unbreakable. No UNESCO declaration; no empty speeches; no GA resolution will ever drive us from Jerusalem. These are the facts this body does not want to hear. The one-sided steps of the Palestinians and the UN have pushed away peace for years. The UN has perfected its double standard. It’s only when it comes to Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, that this assembly remains in an open session. How many times have our calls for peace been rejected? All of us have lost count. Those who support today’s resolution are like puppets. You are like marionettes forced to dance while the Palestinan administration looks on with glee. This resolution only encourages violence. You permit them to pursue violence in the name of Jerusalem, a city of peace. 42 years ago, this body adopted a different, shameful resolution. It equated Zionism with racism. It took 16 long years for that resolution to be revoked. I have no doubt that today’s resolution will also end up in the trash bin of history." Could the Security Council, much less the non-binding General Assembly, nullify such a bilateral decision? In response, occupation is cited - perhaps even by speaker Morocco, despite Western Sahara.
