Gideon Sa'ar: Israel to leave UN Human Rights Council

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced today (Wednesday), that Israel would be leaving the UN Human Rights Council. This decision comes in the wake of President Donald Trump's decision to do the same.

In his statement, published to X, Sa'ar said that:

"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 instead obsessively demonizes the one democracy in the Middle East - Israel. This body has focused on attacking a democratic country and propagating antisemitism, instead of promoting human rights.

"The discrimination against us is clear: In the UNHRC, 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. Israel will not accept this discrimination any longer!"

Yesterday, President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the UN Human Rights Council, which has long been accused of disproportionately criticizing democracies and especially Israel while remaining silent and nearly silent on far worse human rights abuses around the world - and even chaired by serial human rights abusers.

Pro-Israel activists have often published lists of condemnations of human rights violations issued by the council on social media, with some of the most repressive dictatorships receiving no or only a few condemnations - and Israel receiving dozens and even over a hundred in a given year.

Trump had previously withdrawn from the council in his first term, only for the Biden administration to rejoin it in the hope of changing the institution from the inside. Trump has now reverted back to his original policy.