From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Israel hails ‘necessary’ US decision to withdraw from UNESCO
Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar hails the United States’ decision to pull out from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization over alleged anti-America and anti-Israel bias, calling it “a necessary step.”
“We welcome the US administration’s decision to withdraw from UNESCO,” the foreign minister writes on X, saying, “This is a necessary step, designed to promote justice and Israel’s right for fair treatment in the UN system, a right which has often been trampled due to politicization in this arena.”
“Singling out Israel and politicization by member states must end, in this and all professional UN agencies,” Sa’ar continues, adding that “Israel thanks the US for its moral support and leadership, especially in the multilateral arena which is plagued with anti-Israel discrimination.”
Washington’s State Department spokeswoman and the head of UNESCO confirmed reports from earlier today that US President Donald Trump will withdraw the US from the agency.
“Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States,” said the State Department spokeswoman, after White House officials told The New York Post that the Trump administration took issue with the agency’s diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, and its pro-Palestinian and pro-Chinese leanings.
The Times of Israel Community.