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The UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution affirming that any change to the status of Jerusalem has no legal effect and must be reversed, in response to the US decision to recognize the city as Israel's capital.

Egypt circulated the draft text on Saturday, and diplomats said the council could vote on the proposed measure as early as Monday.

Breaking with the international consensus, US President Donald Trump this month announced that he would recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, sparking protests and strong condemnation.

The draft resolution obtained by AFP stresses that Jerusalem is an issue "to be resolved through negotiations" and expresses "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem," without specifically mentioning Trump's move.

"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status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded," it said.


Israeli security forces stand guard as an elderly Palestinian woman walks past in Jerusalem© Provided by AFP Israeli security forces stand guard as an elderly Palestinian woman walks past in Jerusalem
Diplomats said they expected the United States to use its veto power to block the measure while most, if not all, of the 14 other council members were expected to back the draft resolution.

US Vice President Mike Pence will visit Jerusalem on Wednesday, wading into the crisis over one of the most controversial issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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

Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon "strongly condemned" the draft, dismissing it as an attempt by the Palestinians "to reinvent history."

"No vote or debate will change the clear reality that Jerusalem has and always will be the capital of Israel," Danon said in a statement.

- No embassies in Jerusalem -

The draft resolution calls on all countries to refrain from opening embassies in Jerusalem, reflecting concerns that other governments could follow the US lead.


Israeli security forces stand guard in Jerusalem as demonstrations continue to flare up over the US president's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital© Provided by AFP Israeli security forces stand guard in Jerusalem as demonstrations continue to flare up over the US president's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital
It demands that all member-states not recognize any actions that are contrary to UN resolutions on the status of the city.

Several UN resolutions call on Israel to withdraw from territory seized during the 1967 war and have reaffirmed the need to end the occupation of that land.

The Palestinians had sought a toughly-worded draft resolution that would have directly called on the US administration to scrap its decision.

But some US allies on the council such as Britain, France, Egypt, Japan and Ukraine were reluctant to be too hard-hitting and insisted that the proposed measure should reaffirm the position enshrined in current resolutions, diplomats said.

Backed by Muslim countries, the Palestinians are expected to turn to the UN General Assembly to adopt a resolution rejecting the US decision, if, as expected, the measure is vetoed by the United States at the council.

Aside from the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia can veto any resolution presented at the council, which requires nine votes for adoption.

Good excuse to retire from U.N.

If Trump had any stones at all he'd follow up with a declaration that East Jerusalem is the capital of the palestinian state.

UN resolution demanding that the US reverse its decision on Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. What are they going to do, kick us out of the UN? Are the Blue Helmets going to sail up the Potomac and capture the White House?

What a bunch of clowns. Somebody needs to tell these boys and girls that if they kick us out they are going to have to pay all their New York parking tickets.

U.S. vetoes U.N. call for withdrawal of Trump Jerusalem decision
Reuters
By Michelle Nichols
,Reuters•December 18, 2017

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States was further isolated on Monday over President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital when it blocked a United Nations Security Council call for the declaration to be withdrawn.

The remaining 14 council members voted in favour of the Egyptian-drafted resolution, which did not specifically mention the United States or Trump but which expressed "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem."

"What we witnessed here in the Security Council is an insult. It won't be forgotten," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said after the vote.

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

"We do it with no joy, but we do it with no reluctance," she said. "The fact that this veto is being done in defence of American sovereignty and in defence 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."

"What we witnessed here in the Security Council is an insult. It won't be forgotten," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said after the vote.

Current Members
Permanent and Non-Permanent Members
The Council is composed of 15 Members:

five permanent members: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States,

and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly (with end of term date):

Bolivia (2018)
Egypt (2017)
Ethiopia (2018)
Italy (2017)
Japan (2017)
Kazakhstan (2018)
Senegal (2017)
Sweden (2018)
Ukraine (2017)
Uruguay (2017)