Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has slammed the US over "threatening" the UN General Assembly members ahead of a vote condemning President Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
According to al-Maliki, the US leadership is "committing another mistake when they have distributed this famous letter trying to threaten countries, [and] threaten their sovereign decision to choose how to vote."
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has also accused the United States of intimidating and pressuring other countries ahead of the UNGA emergency meeting.
"We know that the United States, which was left alone [in the United Nations], turned to threats. It says ‘we will follow who voted how, we will report to the president, write down the countries.' What are you going to do when you write them down? Will you occupy those countries too, or will you punish them?" Cavusoglu told reporters shortly before leaving for New York to take part in the meeting.
According to him, Washington must stop using such methods as "no self-respecting country will bend to such pressure. Everyone will make the decision in accordance with its own conscience."
The statements come after US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said in a letter to several US allies ahead of the upcoming UNGA meeting that Trump will closely follow the vote on the status of Jerusalem and asked her to inform him about countries who vote against the United States. According to Haley, Trump would "take this vote personally."
READ MORE: LIVE UPDATES: US Vetoes UN Resolution Rejecting Trump's Decision on Jerusalem
'We're watching,' Trump has stated ahead of the vote.
On Monday, the US vetoed the UN Security Council resolution that called on Trump to reverse his decision on Jerusalem while 14 states supported the document drafted by Egypt.
Trump's decision on Jerusalem drew widespread criticism from the international community, with Palestinian officials saying the US president was making the biggest mistake of his life and calling the move a provocation.
