Israel has declared its intention to depart from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), following the lead of the United States, which declared its decision earlier this week.
Responding to the announcement made by Israel’s foreign minister on Thursday, UNHRC spokesperson Pascal Sim stated that Israel holds observer state status within the rights body and is therefore unable to withdraw from the council.
The council, based in Geneva, consists of 47 UN member states who are elected by other UN members to serve four-year terms on a rotating basis. The US is currently not an elected member of the council.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused the UNHRC of anti-Semitism on Thursday and declared that his country “aligns with the United States and will not take part in the UNHRC”.
Saar emphasized that the decision was made due to the continued bias against Israel in the Human Rights Council, a bias that has been present since its establishment in 2006.
Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, previously criticized the council for its “moral failure”.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, expressed grave concern over Israel’s decision, calling it “extremely serious” and reflecting a lack of acknowledgement of their actions.
The UNHRC carries out regular reviews of the human rights records of UN member states and appoints human rights experts as independent UN special rapporteurs.
Israel has taken part in the periodic reviews that UN members are required to submit to the UNHRC. However, the country has abstained from participating in discussions regarding the “human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories” for several years.
Israel’s decision on Thursday is the most recent in a series of disputes it has had with the UN.
In October, Israel banned the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), a move that was met with widespread international condemnation.
