The U.S. withdraws from UNESCO

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, announced the country's withdrawal from UNESCO, claiming the organization harbors anti-American and anti-Zionist tendencies.

In February, Trump ordered a 90-day review of U.S. participation in UNESCO, with a particular focus on investigating any "anti-Semitic or anti-Zionist sentiments within the organization."

A White House official told The Washington Post: After this review, U.S. officials objected to UNESCO’s policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as what they saw as biases favoring Palestinians and China.

Anna Kelly, deputy White House spokesperson, said: “President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO. This organization supports divisive cultural and social agendas and wokeness, which completely contradicts the common-sense policies that Americans voted for in November.”

She claimed: “This President will always put America first and will ensure that our country’s membership in all international organizations aligns with our national interests.”

The White House official further alleged: “UNESCO has used its Executive Board to apply pressure against Israel and Jews, including designating Jewish holy sites as 'Palestinian World Heritage sites.'”

The U.S. State Department also announced: “We have notified UNESCO of our withdrawal because it supports divisive issues that are in conflict with our foreign policy.”

In response to this decision, Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s Foreign Minister, said: “We welcome Washington’s withdrawal from UNESCO.”

It’s worth noting that Trump first ordered the U.S. withdrawal from UNESCO in 2017, citing what he called bias against Israel at the time.