US President Donald Trump
Photo: Reuters
Trump not following through on threat to cut aid over Jerusalem vote
After warnings from US Ambassador Haley and President Trump himself ahead of the UN vote against US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, proposed 2019 budget shows not a single country is set to lose funding as a result of voting in favor.
US President Donald Trump threatened in December
to cut funding for countries voting at the UN against his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital,
but according to his administration's proposed 2019 budget, not a single country lost funding for that reason.
According to Buzzfeed, countries such as Zimbabwe, Somalia, and Nigeria, which were among the 128 nations that voted in favor of a UN resolution cancelling the American recognition, are still set to receive aid as part of next year's budget.
צילום: רויטרס
"If you look at our budget, it is focused on where we think the most appropriate assistance level should be, based on where our security needs are," said Hari Sastry, the director of the Office of US Foreign Assistance Resources.
According to Buzzfeed, when Sastry was pressed on the matter by reporters, he said, "There's nothing specific just tied to that, because that is only one factor."
US President Donald Trump (Photo: AFP)
Ahead of the vote, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley sent a letter to UN member states in which she warned of possible retaliation should they support a resolution criticizing Washington's decision.
The US "will be taking names," she threatened, asserting Trump will take the vote "personally."
Trump himself told reporters at the White House, "They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us. Well, we're watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don’t care."
