Israel has announced that it will withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) following the United States’ decision to no longer participate in the body. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar confirmed the move on social media, stating that Israel will not tolerate what it views as the council’s ongoing bias against the Jewish state.
“Israel welcomes President Trump’s decision not to participate in the UN Human Rights Council,” Sa’ar wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Israel joins the United States and will not participate in the UNHRC.”
Sa’ar criticized the UNHRC for what he described as its pattern of shielding human rights violators while unfairly singling out Israel. “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 said.
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Israel welcomes President Trump’s decision not to participate in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Israel joins the United States and will not participate in the UNHRC.The UNHRC has traditionally protected human rights abusers by allowing them to hide from scrutiny, and…
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) February 5, 2025 [2]
He pointed to the disproportionate number of resolutions against Israel, arguing that the council has a long history of anti-Israel bias. “Israel is the only country with an agenda item dedicated solely to it. Israel has been subjected to over 100 condemnatory resolutions, over 20% of all resolutions ever passed in the Council—more than against Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and Venezuela combined,” Sa’ar noted.
The UNHRC, established in 2006, has long been a point of contention for Israel and the United States, both of which have accused the council of unfairly targeting Israel while failing to hold other nations accountable for human rights violations. Trump first withdrew the US from the UNHRC in 2018, citing similar concerns. While the UNHRC has frequently criticized Israeli policies in Palestinian territories, Israel has dismissed these condemnations as politically motivated.