Israel says to boycott UN Human Rights Council over ‘anti-Semitism’

JERUSALEM (AFP): Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Wednesday accused the UN Human Rights Council of anti-Semitism as he announced Israel would boycott the United Nations body.

“This body has focused on attacking a democratic country and propagating anti-Semitism, instead of promoting human rights,” Saar said in a post on X.

The minister cited Israel being “the only country with an agenda item dedicated solely to it” and the subject of more resolutions than “Iran, Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela combined.”

“Israel joins the United States and will not participate in the UNHRC,” Saar said.

In response to the boycott announcement, UNHRC spokesman Pascal Sim said Israel had “observer state status” within the rights body and was “not one of the 47 member states.”

As such, it cannot “withdraw from the council,” he added.

Israel has previously participated in periodic reviews that UN members must submit to the UNHRC.

For several years, however, it has boycotted debates on the “human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.”

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order saying Washington was withdrawing from a number of United Nations bodies, including its Human Rights Council.

The executive order also said it withdrew the United States from the UN relief agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, with which Israel cut ties on Thursday accusing the body of providing cover for Hamas militants.