After US, Israel withdraws participation from UN Human Rights Council
A day after US President Donald Trump announced America’s withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Sa’ar, stated that Israel would also join the US in its decision not to participate in the UNHRC.
On Wednesday, Sa’ar expressed Israel’s support for Trump’s decision, calling it a step in the right direction.
In a post on X, the Israeli Foreign Minister said, “Israel welcomes President Trump’s decision not to participate in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Israel joins the United States and will not participate in the UNHRC.”
He criticized the UNHRC for “traditionally protecting human rights abusers by allowing them to hide from scrutiny, and instead obsessively demonising the one democracy in the Middle East – Israel.” He further stated that the body had focused on attacking Israel and spreading anti-Semitism instead of promoting human rights.
“The discrimination against us is clear: In the UNHRC, Israel is the only country with an agenda item dedicated solely to it. Israel has been subjected to over 100 condemnatory resolutions, over 20 percent of all resolutions ever passed in the Council — more than against Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and Venezuela combined. Israel will not accept this discrimination any longer!” he added.
This announcement from the Israeli Foreign Minister came during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the US.
On Tuesday, President Trump announced America’s departure from the “anti-Semitic” UN Human Rights Council and the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which has faced allegations of ties with Hamas. Trump made the announcement during a joint press conference with Israeli PM Netanyahu in Washington, DC.
“I’m also pleased to announce that this afternoon the United States withdrew from the anti-Semitic UN Human Rights Council and ended all of the support for the UN Relief and Works Agency, which funnelled money to Hamas and which was very disloyal to humanity,” Trump said.
During the visit, Netanyahu discussed the Gaza ceasefire agreement and plans for the Middle East with President Trump. Trump also emphasized the strong bond between the US and Israel, saying, “The bonds of friendship and affection between the American and Israeli people have endured for generations, and they are absolutely unbreakable.”
