The United States is formally withdrawing from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), citing structural ‘anti-Israel’ bias and mounting membership fees owed to the international agency.
“This decision was not taken lightly, and reflects US concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organisation, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO,” said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert.
The decision was lauded as “brave and moral,” in a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also tweeted that he has instructed his Foreign Minister to “prepare Israel’s withdrawal… in parallel with the United States.”
The United States now owes UNESCO roughly $550 million, after it stopped paying membership fees in 2011 following the agency’s vote to accept a Palestinian bid for full membership.
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova has deemed the notion to withdraw a matter of “profound regret” which represents a “loss to UNESCO” and a “loss for multilateralism.”
UNESCO has recently come under fire from US and Israeli representatives for recognising Hebron’s Old City and the Tomb of the Patriarchs as Palestinian heritage sites, without explicit references to their Jewish ties. Mr. Netanyahu accused the agency of ignoring Judaism’s ancient connections to the city.
The US withdrawal is set to become effective at the end of December 2018, after which point it will establish a ‘permanent observer’ status at the agency, the state department reported.
BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus has argued that the US withdrawal from UNESCO will be seen by many as a manifestation of US President Donald Trump’s “America First” approach and his across-the-board hostility to multilateral organisations.
