Israel and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation had a similar showdown in October after the body passed an Arab-sponsored resolution that criticised the Jewish state for restricting access to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in annexed east Jerusalem.
Israel will withhold $1 million in funds that it gives to the United Nations following the passage of a resolution that condemns Israel's sovereignty in Jerusalem. In fact, it's yet another in a series of UNESCO resolutions denying any Israeli connection to, e.g., the Temple Mount.
Israel's President Reuven Rivlin called on foreign ambassadors to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said he had instructed the country's representative to UNESCO to vote against "the latest politicized resolution on Jerusalem".
Pence added: "Even now we're making valuable progress toward the noble goal of peace".
After the new cut announced by Netanyahu on Wednesday, Israel is set to pay just $2.7 million in membership fees annually.
"UNESCO's decision is weird", said Netanyahu, "and this harrassment has a price".
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The United States - Israel's staunchest ally - uncharacteristically decided not to wield its veto power and to allow the adoption of the text with a mere abstention.
He singled out the United States for voting against the resolution; in December as one of the Obama administration's last acts, the USA abstained from a U.N. Security Council resolution which condemned Israeli settlements.
Meanwhile, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the resolution as "absurd".
Jordan on Wednesday said UNESCO's vote in favour of a Jerusalem item in the draft resolution "Occupied Palestine" reasserting previous decisions, shows growing world commitment to this very important issue.
The Palestinian foreign ministry welcomed the declaration, calling it "a victory for global law".
The resolution, submitted by several Arab nations, has softer wording than another UNESCO decision a year ago that referred to several sites primarily by their Islamic names and largely ignored Jewish terms.
The UK, which is in the process of leaving the European Union, made clear from the beginning that it would not support the move, and Germany - which led the negotiations over the language of the resolution - in the end also voted against.
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