U.S. Withdraws From UNESCO, Saying It’s Biased Against Israel
- Dues of $80 million a year haven’t been paid since 2011
- UNESCO director calls the U.S. decision ‘deeply regrettable’
Flag of the United Nations during 41st Session of the World Heritage Committee in Krakow, Poland on 3 July , 2017.
Photographer: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The Trump administration withdrew the U.S. from the United Nations cultural organization, saying it’s biased against Israel and citing its decision to admit the Palestinian territories as a member state.
The decision to quit the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which the U.S. co-founded in 1945, “was not taken lightly,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement Thursday. She cited the need for “fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO.”