Trump threatens US aid recipients a head of UN vote on Jerusalem

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off financial aid to the countries that back a United Nations resolution opposing the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Earlier this month, US president Trump declared Jerusalem as Israel's capital, announcing to shift US embassy to that disputed territory amid huge criticism.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said; "They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us," he told reporters at the White House.

"Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care," He added.

Trump’s that comments come ahead of a UN General Assembly vote on a resolution opposing recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The draft resolution does not mention the US, but says any decisions on Jerusalem should be cancelled.

Earlier, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned member states that President Trump had asked her to report on "who voted against us" on Thursday.

The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel occupied the east of the city, previously occupied by Jordan, in the 1967 Middle East war and regards the entire city as its indivisible capital.