Israel has announced its withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), following in the footsteps of the United States, which exited just hours earlier.
The move, declared by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, comes amid longstanding criticism that the UN body unfairly targets Israel while failing to hold other nations accountable for human rights abuses.
Saar Defends Israel’s Decision to Withdraw
Saar condemned the council’s treatment of Israel, arguing that it has been disproportionately scrutinized compared to other countries with well-documented human rights violations. “The council obsessively demonizes the one democracy in the Middle East—Israel,” Saar wrote in a statement on X.
“Israel will not accept this discrimination any longer!” He pointed out that Israel is the only country with a permanent agenda item at the UNHRC and has faced over 100 condemnatory resolutions—more than 20% of all resolutions passed, surpassing those against Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and Venezuela combined.
Trump’s Executive Order Expands U.S. Criticism of UN Agencies
The withdrawal mirrors the decision made by US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized the UNHRC for what he calls its anti-Israel bias. Trump had previously pulled the US out of the council in 2018 and, in his latest executive order, signaled a broader reevaluation of America’s relationship with UN agencies.
The order highlighted three organizations: the UNHRC, the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Trump accused UNRWA of being “infiltrated” by individuals linked to Hamas, referencing reports that some agency staff were involved in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
While the UN dismissed the implicated employees following an internal investigation, Trump’s administration remains firm in its stance against the agency. The executive order also criticized UNESCO for failing to “reform itself” and for what it described as a persistent “anti-Israel sentiment over the past decade.”
Trump’s latest remarks on the Israel-Palestine conflict have further amplified global tensions.
During a White House press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—the first foreign leader to visit Trump during his new term—the US president announced his intent to “take over” and “own” Gaza, envisioning it as the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
He reiterated his belief that Palestinians in Gaza should be resettled elsewhere, arguing that the war has rendered the enclave uninhabitable. His statements have sparked international condemnation but were met with widespread approval in Israel.
The ongoing conflict has devastated Gaza, with UN estimates indicating that over 90% of homes have been destroyed or severely damaged, displacing approximately 1.9 million people—an overwhelming majority of the population.
