In a scathing rejection of U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 controversial move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel鈥檚 capital, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to urge Trump to rescind his decision.

A total of 128 countries voted in favour of the motion Thursday.

Only nine countries voted against the motion. They include:

  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Israel
  • Marshall Islands
  • Micronesia
  • Nauru
  • Palau
  • Togo
  • United States

Canada was among 35 countries that abstained from the vote.

Despite the hands-off approach, Canada鈥檚 ambassador the UN Marc-Andre Blanchard said that 鈥渄enying the connection between Jerusalem and the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths undermines the integrity of the site for all.鈥�

Blanchard added: 鈥淲e also reiterate the need to maintain the status quo at Jerusalem's Holy sites.鈥�

In a stern warning to her fellow ambassadors before the vote, U.S. ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said that 鈥渘o vote in the United Nations鈥� will change the Trump administration鈥檚 decision.

鈥淏ut this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries that disrespect us in the UN. And this vote will be remembered,鈥� Haley said.

Canada鈥檚 decision to abstain comes from a simple logic, according to Bessma Momani, a senior fellow with the Waterloo-based Centre for International Governance Innovation.

鈥淔rankly, I think it鈥檚 just one factor: NAFTA, NAFTA, NAFTA,鈥� Momani told 麻豆影视 Channel on Thursday. 鈥淔rankly, I think we were bullied into this.鈥�

Canada is still hoping to hammer out a modernized North American Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. The issue was raised by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson earlier this week.

Following Thursday鈥檚 UN vote, Freeland confirmed in a statement that Canada maintains its position that 鈥渢he status of Jerusalem can be resolved only as part of a general settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.鈥�

But Momani said Canada鈥檚 vote doesn鈥檛 reflect the government鈥檚 core beliefs.

鈥淚f we voted with our heart, we would鈥檝e voted 鈥榥o.鈥� But I think what we see here today is that frankly, the Americans bullied us into this position,鈥� she said.

Mexico, the third negotiator in the NAFTA talks, also abstained from the vote. Australia, Argentina, Colombia and Panama also chose not to take sides.

鈥淚f you drill down that list, the 35 or so that abstained, they would probably have again disagreed with the Americans. Similarly, those who didn鈥檛 show up, like Ukraine and others, are in a similar situation,鈥� Momani said.

Mira Sucharov, a political science professor from Carleton University, said Canada鈥檚 abstention did not come as much of a surprise, and described the vote as a 鈥減rudent course of action鈥� for both Canada and Mexico amid NAFTA uncertainty.

鈥淐anada was stuck between not wanting to totally anger its very important ally, the U.S., and at the same time maintain its principled stance regarding the future of Jerusalem,鈥� Sucharov said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the vote as 鈥渢heatre of the absurd.鈥� Sucharov agreed, to an extent, that vote was both 鈥渢heatrical鈥� and 鈥渟ymbolic.鈥�

鈥淐apitals are symbolic, recognition of capitals by third-party actors is symbolic. In a sense, there is a kernel of truth there in that Israel has declared its own capital to be Jerusalem,鈥� she said.

Beyond symbolism, Sucharov said the vote reflects how countries stand on the issue of the fate of the West Bank and Palestinians living in east Jerusalem.

Read below for a complete list on how the UN nations voted.

Countries that abstained:

  • Antigua-Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Bahamas
  • Benin
  • BhutanBosnia-Herzegovina
  • Cameroon
  • Canada
  • Colombia
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Dominican Republic
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Fiji
  • Haiti
  • Hungary
  • Jamaica
  • Kiribati
  • Latvia
  • Lesotho
  • Malawi
  • Mexico
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Rwanda
  • Solomon Islands
  • South Sudan
  • Trinidad-Tobago
  • Tuvalu
  • Uganda
  • Vanuatu

Countries that voted for the motion:

  • Afghanistan
  • Albania
  • Algeria
  • Andorra
  • Angola
  • Armenia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Barbados
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Bolivia
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Bulgaria
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cabo Verde
  • Cambodia
  • Chad
  • Chile
  • China
  • Comoros
  • Congo
  • Costa Rica
  • Cote D鈥橧voire
  • Cuba
  • Cyprus
  • Democratic Republic of Korea
  • Denmark
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • Eritrea
  • Estonia
  • Ethiopia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Greece
  • Grenada
  • Guinea
  • Guyana
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Jordan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Madagascar
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Mali
  • Malta
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Monaco
  • Montenegro
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Norway
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Peru
  • Portugal
  • Qatar
  • Republic of Korea
  • Russia
  • Saint Vincent-Grenadines
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Senegal
  • Serbia
  • Seychelles
  • Singapore
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Suriname
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Syrian Arab Republic
  • Tajikistan
  • Thailand
  • The FYR Macedonia
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United Republic of Tanzania
  • Uruguay
  • Uzbekistan
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam
  • Yemen
  • Zimbabwe