Israel has announced its departure from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused the council of disproportionately targeting Israel instead of addressing global human rights concerns. On X, he stated that the UNHRC fosters antisemitism and unfairly focuses on his country.
Saar highlighted that Israel is the only nation with a permanent agenda item (Item 7). The council has passed more than 100 resolutions against Israel—exceeding those against Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela combined. Israel refuses to accept this continued discrimination.
Earlier, former President Donald Trump signed a decree questioning US participation in several UN organizations, including the UNHRC. However, the US is no longer a member, as its term expired at the beginning of the year.
Although a formal withdrawal is unnecessary, Washington may opt to stop attending meetings as an observer and decline future membership.
Since 2022, Austrian diplomat Volker Türk has served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.