In a taped message that was played Wednesday night at a reception hosted by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations to thank those countries that voted with the U.S. — or abstained from voting — against a U.N. measure condemning the decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, President Donald Trump said he “greatly appreciated” those nations’ actions.
Countries which did not attend the vote altogether, also were invited to the New York City event.
“I want to thank all of the nations represented here tonight for standing with the United States during the recent United Nations General Assembly vote on the status of Jerusalem,” Trump said in the 47-second recording, obtained by ABC News. “Rest assured that your actions on Thursday, December 21 will go down as a very important date [and] were noted and greatly appreciated.”
The president continued, “The United States remains committed to achieving lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. There’s no reason that peace should not be entered into. We will continue to work with the partners like you to ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for the region, for the world. Thank you, God bless you, and have a great new year.”
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley posted photos from the reception to her Twitter and Instagram accounts, writing, “A great night with friends…”
Nine countries voted against that U.N. condemnation, including the U.S. and Israel. Another 35 countries abstained. But key American allies like the United Kingdom and France were among the 128 countries which voted to condemn.
