Israel Exits UN Human Rights Council
The Facts
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar Wednesday said that Israel will pull out of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) following US Pres. Donald Trump's decision to quit the organization a day earlier.
In a statement, Sa'ar accused the UNHRC of "attacking a democratic country and propagating antisemitism, instead of promoting human rights" and protecting "human rights abusers by allowing them to hide from scrutiny."
He alleged that the UNHRC had passed "over 100 condemnatory resolutions, over 20% of all resolutions ever passed in the Council — more than against Iran, Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela combined."
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The UNHRC has failed its mission by protecting human rights abusers while unfairly targeting Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, with discriminatory agenda items and disproportionate condemnation. Israel cannot be expected to accept such biased treatment any longer.
Pro-establishment narrative
The Council plays a crucial role in addressing human rights abuses globally. Democratic nations withdrawing from such an important international body undermines diplomatic engagement and the ability to influence human rights policies worldwide and isolates countries from important international dialogue.
