Israel has decided to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) hours after its biggest supporter, the United States, pulled out of the Council.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused the UNHRC of attacking a democratic nation and fuelling anti-Semitism. In a statement on X, Saar criticised the Council for disproportionately targeting Israel while allowing human rights violations in other countries to go unpunished.
He pointed out that Israel is the only nation to have faced 100 condemnatory resolutions, 20 percent of which have already been adopted.
“The Council obsessively demonises the one democracy in the Middle East—Israel,” Saar wrote, adding that “Israel will not accept this discrimination any longer!”
This announcement follows the US's withdrawal from the Council on Tuesday.
When announcing the move, the US president pledged to evaluate Washington’s relationship with other UN agencies due to their stance on Israel and anti-American bias.
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“Three UN organisations that deserve renewed scrutiny are the UNHRC, the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA),” the executive order states.
It also refers to UNRWA’s alleged infiltration by members of groups designated by the US Secretary of State as foreign terrorist organisations, including those allegedly involved in the October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel staged by Hamas.
These employees were dismissed by the UN following an internal investigation.
Additionally, the US president reiterated his stance on relocating Palestinians from Gaza, claiming that the recent conflict left the enclave beyond repair.
Trump’s comments on Gaza have received widespread backlash from global leaders.
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