Israel Withdraws from UN Agencies: Following investigations and discussions prompted by the US decision to withdraw from dozens of international organisations, Israel is also following in Trump’s footsteps. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has decided that Jerusalem will immediately sever all ties with several UN agencies and international bodies, citing what government describes as persistent bias, politicisation, and hostile actions against Israel. Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that this decision was made after reviewing the organisation named in the US announcement and Israel’s own experiences with these bodies.
Israel Withdraws from UN Agencies
Following extensive deliberations and investigations conducted after the US withdrew from dozens of international organisations, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has decided that Israel will immediately sever all ties with UN agencies and international organisations. Furthermore, Foreign Minister Sa’ar instructed his ministry to immediately examine, in consultation with the relevant government ministries, the status of continued cooperation between Israel and other organisations, where necessary. Further decisions will be made after in-depth deliberations and additional discussions.
Israel VS UN Dispute
Israel has also severed ties with UN Women (UNWOMEN), the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women, alleging that the organisation deliberately ignored all cases of sexual violence against Israeli women on October 7, 2023. The former local head of UN Women ended her term at Israel’s request. Israel has terminated its cooperation agreement with this organisation.
UNCTAD Organisation
Another organisation mentioned was the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which Israeli officials said has written “dozens of harsh anti-Israel reports.” Israel has been disengaged from UNCTAD for many years. Israel has also long been disengaged from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), which, according to the Foreign Ministry, annually publishes harsh anti-Israel reports and provides the basis for further anti-Israel resolutions within UN system.
Israel Cut Ties With 7 UN Agencies
In addition to these organisations, the Foreign Ministry announced that Israel has now decided to sever ties with additional international bodies. These include United Nations Alliance of Civilisations, which was founded by Turkey and Spain and claims to promote intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. Israel alleges that despite this mandate, organisation has not invited Israel to participate and has instead been used for years as a platform for attacks against the Jewish state.
