The U.S. once again found itself pitted against the international community on Monday when it single-handedly killed a U.N. Security Council resolution that sought to nullify President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Trump's move, which further normalized the occupation, sparked protests across the globe and earned the condemnation of Middle Eastern and European nations. The 14-1 vote on Monday--with every member of the Security Council uniting against the Trump administration--further solidified the status of the U.S. and Israel as "rogue nations," critics argued.
As Reutersnotes, the draft resolution affirmed "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status, or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void, and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council," but did not even mention the U.S. or Trump by name.
By vetoing the resolution, the U.S. stood by a move that Palestinian envoy to Britain Manuel Hassassian denounced as a "declaration of war" against Muslims.
In a speech to Security Council members ahead of Monday's vote, U.N. Middle East peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov noted that because "of the decision of the United States...the situation has become more tense" in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Several Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more injured in clashes with Israeli security forces during demonstrations in recent days. Two Palestinians were also killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, just days after Trump announced his decision to both recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and begin the process of moving the U.S. embassy there.