Germany, which last week was reported to be in favour of a compromise draft following its diplomatic spat with Israel over a meeting between its foreign minister and left-wing Israeli NGOs, was among the countries voting against.
Most of the countries voting in favour of the resolution were Muslim-majority nations. However, the Israeli government will be disappointed to see countries with which it has improved relations recently - including Russia and China, as well as Chad, which only two months ago announced it was resuming diplomatic relations with Israel – also voting in favour.
Two European nations were also sources of disappointment. Sweden was only Western country to vote in favour, and France, which Israel hoped would be voting against, abstained.
The resolution passed on Israel’s Independence Day. At the annual reception for the diplomatic corps, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that conversations he had had with world leaders and the efforts of Israel’s diplomats meant “the number of states supporting this absurd Unesco resolution is shrinking”. In an earlier speech, he said that “there is no nation in the world that Jerusalem is holy and important to than the Jewish people”.
