WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday pulling the United States out of the United Nations Human Rights Council and cutting funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, known as UNRWA. The move coincides with a meeting in Washington between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
For decades, the administration has faulted the Human Rights Council for bias against Israel and cover-ups of various governments with human rights abuses. In a fact sheet obtained by POLITICO, the White House said that the council “has not fulfilled its purpose and continues to be used as a protective body for countries committing horrific human rights violations.” The document also criticized the council’s position on Israel, pointing out that in 2018, it adopted more resolutions condemning Israel than Syria, Iran, and North Korea combined.
UNRWA, which was established to care for displaced Palestinians, has been under fire from the U.S. and Israel. The Biden administration had already frozen funding to UNRWA after reports that some of its staff members were implicated in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel. Israel’s U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon, welcomed the move, saying UNRWA is “a terrorist authority controlled by Hamas under the guise of a humanitarian agency.”
This decision continues a long history of the U.S. on-and-off relationship with the U.N. Human Rights Council. While under Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the U.S. was a participant in the council, under Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump, it was not.
The executive order also requires Secretary of State Marco Rubio to conduct a review of international organizations, conventions, or treaties that “promote radical or anti-American sentiment,” which UNESCO is said to do particularly. In November 2019, the U.S. officially withdrew from UNESCO citing an anti-Israel bias.
The move has drawn criticism from human rights organizations and some lawmakers who argue that, despite its flaws, the Human Rights Council plays a crucial role in addressing human rights abuses globally. UNRWA has been a key provider of aid to millions of Palestinians, especially amid ongoing conflicts. UNRWA’s chief has condemned what he described as a disinformation campaign against the agency.
The executive order also brings in questions regarding USAID, a body that works to advance human rights across borders. Questions abound on whether USAID aligns with the policy of “America First” from the president’s desk and on how the body is being funded.
