US ‘will be taking names’ during UNGA vote on Jerusalem move, envoy Haley warns

Nicki Halley the US Ambassador to UN

The US is ready to “take names” of its critics, America’s ambassador to the UN has warned, ahead of a GA session to debate Washington’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move its embassy there.

Nicki Halley the US Ambassador to UN

The US is ratcheting up its rhetoric and its threats in defending the December 6 decision to move its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem from global indignation.

Even staunch American allies, including the UK and France, have condemned the new American approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which, for five decades, has focused on a potential two-state solution with Jerusalem as a shared capital.

On Monday, the US used its veto power to block a United Nations Security Council resolution that called on all states to refrain from establishing diplomatic missions in Jerusalem. The resolution, which had 14 votes in favor, also sought to reaffirm that “Israel’s establishment of settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, had no legal validity, constituting a flagrant violation under international law.”

Following the vote, which is not the first time the US has used its veto power to torpedo a UN measure aimed at sanctioning Israel, America’s UN envoy Nikki Haley termed the united front against Washington an “insult” that “won’t be forgotten.”

On Tuesday, Palestine officially requested a rare special session of the UN General Assembly on the status of Jerusalem. Ahead of Thursday’s meeting, Haley again warned the US “will be taking names” of those who oppose US policy during the symbolic vote, as resolutions passed by the General Assembly are not legally binding, but can be considered morally compromising.

“At the UN we’re always asked to do more & give more,” Haley wrote on Twitter. “So, when we make a decision, at the will of the American ppl, abt where to locate OUR embassy, we don’t expect those we’ve helped to target us. On Thurs there’ll be a vote criticizing our choice. The US will be taking names.”

Threats under the guise of diplomacy appears to be in line with the style of the US ambassador who was a former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. In January, when she assumed her new UN role, she showed her hand, warning US allies that if they do not support Washington, there would be repercussions.

“Our goal with the administration is to show value at the UN and the way that we’ll show value is to show our strength, show our voice, have the backs of our allies and make sure that our allies have our back as well,”

Haley said on January 27, as she arrived at UN headquarters to present her credentials to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “For those that don’t have our back, we’re taking names, we will make points to respond to that accordingly.”

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