Turkish Deputy PM slams US over its Jerusalem vote

Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag on Tuesday slammed the US veto of an Egypt-sponsored resolution at the UN Security Council (UNSC) condemning the US move to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

“The US should not insist on this position contrary to international law. The US should step back from the wrong decision as soon as possible,” Bozdag wrote on his official Twitter account.

Bozdag noted that Monday's vote at the UNSC was 14-1, isolating the US in the international arena as the sole security council member backing the Trump administration's decision on Jerusalem.

The deputy prime minister said Turkey believes that UN members should be consistent with their earlier decisions and respect international law.

Turkey would continue to follow developments on the issue to ensure the recognition and preservation of Jerusalem's status as Palestine’s capital, Bozdag added.

The US veto of the UNSC resolution came less than two weeks after the  Trump administration recognised the city as Israel's capital and began the process of moving the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, the city traditionally home to diplomacy in Israel.