The United States, has announced its withdrawal from United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) accusing the body of anti-Israel bias.
The State Department Spokeswoman, Heather Nauret, said the State Department on Thursday had notified UNESCO’s Director General Irina Bokova of Washington’s decision adding that the Country would establish an observer mission to replace its representation.
The Director General, UNESCO, expressed regret over the United States withdrawal calling it loss to multilateralism.
The US, under Donald Trump, has earlier withdrawn from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Trans Pacific Partnership and now UNESCO.
In a related development, Israel has also pulled out of the UNESCO praising the US decision.
“This is courageous and moral decision, because UNESCO has become the theatre of the absurd and because instead of preserving history, it distorts it”.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, instructed its Foreign Ministry to prepare Israeli’s withdrawal from the organisation in line with the US withdrawal.
“The US stands by Israel and is a true leader for change at the UN. The alliance between our two Countries is stronger than ever”.
Israeli’s UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, in a statement said the US withdrawal from UNESCO is the price to pay for discrimination against Israel, adding that the body has discarded its true role and purpose.
“Today is a new day at the UN, where there is a price to pay for discrimination against Israel”.
Palestine and UNESCO
Secretary General of Palestinian National Initiative, Mustafa Barghouti, said the behaviour of the US was counterproductive and shameful.
“Sooner or later they will see Palestine in every UN agency. Will the US respond to that by withdrawing from the WHO or the World Intellectual Property Organization? They will be hurting only themselves”.
Palestine was granted membership on October 31, 2011 by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
The US initially donates $60m to the body, which represents 22% of UNESCO’s budget.
However, after UNESCO approved Palestine’s membership in 2011, the United States stopped its financial contributions to the body as a result of the body’s approval.
The United States has a veto in the Security Council and the Country has the power to unilaterally block the Palestinian membership bid.
The Obama Administration vowed to veto such recommendation of Palestine for UN membership which the White House perceived as an attempt at isolating Israel that would deal a major setback to Israeli-Palestinian peace prospects.
UNESCO and the United States
The United States withdrew from UNESCO in 1984 to protest the agency’s growing politicization, anti-western bias, rampant mismanagement and advocacy of policies that undermine freedom of the press and free markets.
The United States re-joined UNESCO in 2003 as a sign of approval after the organisation had implemented management reforms and abandoned its objectionable support of government constraints on the press and markets.
UNESCO and Israel
In May 2017, UNESCO passed a series of resolutions that denies Israeli claims to Jerusalem. The resolution indicates rejection of the Jewish state’s sovereignty in any part of Jerusalem.
Israel is referred to throughout the document as the “occupying power” in Jerusalem, indicating that it has no legal or historical ties to any part of the city.
The resolution also harshly criticizes the government for various construction projects in Jerusalem’s Old City and at holy sites in Hebron, and calls for an end to Israel’s blockade of Gaza without mentioning attacks from the Hamas-run Strip.
The resolutions which were taken on Israel’s independence did not go down well with the Country’s Prime Minister who said
“We denounce UNESCO and uphold our truth, which is the truth that throughout Jewish history Jerusalem was the heart of the nation”.
