Israel has announced that it will immediately sever all contact with several United Nations agencies and international organisations following an internal review triggered by the United States’ recent withdrawal from dozens of global bodies.
Jerusalem said the decision was driven by what it described as persistent bias, politicisation and hostility towards Israel within the affected organisations.
Last week, US President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of 66 international organisations and treaties — roughly half of them linked to the UN — accusing the bodies of acting “contrary to the interests of the United States.”
In a statement posted on X, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said:
“Following an examination and discussion conducted after the US withdrawal from dozens of international organisations, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has decided that Israel will immediately sever all contact with the following UN agencies and international organisations. In addition, the foreign minister has instructed the ministry to examine, in consultation with relevant government bodies, the continued cooperation with other organisations. Further decisions will be made after a thorough review and additional discussion.”
Agencies Israel is exiting
The decision, which takes effect immediately, applies to:
- Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
- UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
- UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
- UN Alliance of Civilizations
- UN Energy
- Global Forum on Migration and Development
The Foreign Ministry said it was cutting ties with the Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict after the agency included the Israel Defense Forces in its annual list of violators, alongside groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It noted that Israel had already halted cooperation with the office in June 2024, adding: “Israel is the only democratic country to be listed, alongside ISIS and Boko Haram.”
Israel also said it was withdrawing from UN Women after the agency “deliberately ignored all cases of sexual violence committed against Israeli women on October 7, 2023.”
According to the ministry, Israel’s exit from UNCTAD and ESCWA was due to what it described as “virulent anti-Israel reports,” while the Alliance of Civilizations was accused of being “used as a platform for attacks against Israel.”
UN Energy was criticised as a “wasteful organisation” that exemplifies the UN’s “excessive and inefficient bureaucracy,” while the Global Forum on Migration and Development was accused of undermining the ability of sovereign states to enforce their own immigration laws.
Longstanding tensions with the UN
Israel has long accused the United Nations of systemic bias, arguing that more resolutions are passed against it each year than against all other countries combined.
It has been particularly critical of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, accusing it — even before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack — of colluding with Hamas and promoting anti-Israel incitement, allegations the agency has denied.
Citing what it calls entrenched links to terrorist groups, Israel has banned UNRWA from operating within its territory and has restricted its activities in Gaza and the West Bank.
