Israel to Formally Announce Intent to Leave UNESCO

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has sent out a shockwave order through the United Nations, informing the bureaucratic world leaders that the Jewish state would soon leave UNESCO.

The United States did the same, in October:

The move comes amid an ongoing U.N. condemnation of Israel, and most recently, of America for announcing a move of the U.S. Embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Israel’s envoy will soon present a letter to the United Nations, informing of the exit from UNESCO.

The Times of Israel has more:

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has sent out a shockwave order through the United Nations, informing the bureaucratic world leaders that the Jewish state would soon leave UNESCO.

The move comes amid an ongoing U.N. condemnation of Israel, and most recently, of America for announcing a move of the U.S. Embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Israel’s envoy will soon present a letter to the United Nations, informing of the exit from UNESCO.

The Times of Israel has more:

Carmel Shama-Hacohen will present the letter to UNESCO’s new leader Audrey Azoulay after the Christmas holiday. Israel will officially depart the UN cultural organization at the end of 2018, in accordance with its tules.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahson said the decision was based on the organization’s “attempts to disconnect Jewish history from the land of Israel.”

The Jerusalem Post reports more:

The UNESCO constitution holds that a country’s withdrawal from the organization takes effect on 31 December of the year following that during which the notice was given. Accordingly, Israel’s departure will become effective on 31 December 2018.

Israel signaled its intention to leave the body in October, hours after the US announced its withdrawal. Netanyahu praised the American declaration, calling it “a brave and moral decision, because UNESCO has become the theater of the absurd and because instead of preserving history, it distorts it.”

The US listed “concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO,” as reasons for its departure.

Then-director-general of UNESCO Irina Bokova expressed “profound regret” at the decision. Bokova was succeeded last month by Audrey Azoulay, France’s former culture minister, who became the first Jewish head of the agency.

Israel’s decision to formally withdraw comes in the immediate aftermath of Thursday’s UN General Assembly vote condemning US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but also following a string of anti-Israel resolutions adopted by the body.

In the past two years, three UNESCO resolutions disavowing Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem have been adopted. In July, UNESCO recognized the Old City of Hebron and the Cave of the Patriarchs as endangered Palestinian world heritage sites.

“That’s worse than fake news, that’s fake history,” Netanyahu stated during his United Nations General Assembly address in September, referring to the Hebron resolution.