Ghana and other countries may be hit with US sanctions after they  voted against the  decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,US Department of State official has hinted.

Julia Mason said US may stop financial aid to Ghana, Nigeria and other countries after they failed to back the Trump administration on its foreign Policy at the Middle East.

“As President Trump said on December 20, it is a factor in the process of making our assistance decisions,"she said.

“The president’s foreign policy team has been empowered to explore various options going forward; however, no decisions have been made.”

The threats comes after the US Government had promised a $639m in aid to assist people facing famine in some African countries which  include Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.

Among the quartet, only South Sudan did not vote against the US.

US President Donald Trump had earlier in the month formally recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as well as making plans to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the Holy City.

Mr Trump described the move as "a long overdue step" to advance the Middle East peace process.

However, last Thursday, Ghana joins 128 countries of the UN General Assembly to decisively back a resolution effectively calling on the US to withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Israel has also  expressed regret over Ghana’s vote against America’s decision, describing as "nothing but a farce."

Thirty-five countries abstained, while nine  countries including neighboring   Togo, voted along with US.

By Fiifi Abdul Malik/ghanaguardian.com