Israel joins US in leaving UNHRC, citing "clear discrimination"
Shafaq News/ Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced on Wednesday that Tel Aviv has withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), accusing it of "propagating antisemitism."
Sa'ar's remarks came after US President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Tuesday, where Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the council over its 'biased positions.'
"Israel joins the United States and will not participate in the UNHRC," Sa'ar wrote on X. "The UNHRC has traditionally protected human rights abusers by allowing them to hide from scrutiny, and instead obsessively demonizes the one democracy in the Middle East - Israel."
He further highlighted what he described as "clear discrimination" against Israel, claiming it is the only country with a dedicated agenda item and has faced over 100 condemnatory resolutions—more than 20 percent of all resolutions issued by the council—exceeding those against Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and Venezuela combined.
"Israel will not accept this discrimination any longer!'
Notably, the UNHRC has repeatedly condemned Israeli bombardments on Gaza, which have killed over 47,000 people, mostly women and children, and has called for accountability for grave human rights violations committed during the conflict by both Israel and Hamas.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk recently reiterated calls for Israel to end its "illegal continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,' supporting a two-state solution.
Before the withdrawals of Israel and the US, the Geneva-based council had 47 member states, with seats distributed among five regional groups:
-Africa (13 states)
-Asia-Pacific (13 states)
-Eastern Europe (6 states)
-Latin America and the Caribbean (8 states)
-Western Europe and other states (7 states)
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