The White House is asking Israel to return to the organization, from which it withdrew about four years ago following the bias against it. The reason: The Biden administration is also interested in returning to the organization – but US law prevents this.
The UN Education Agency is back in focus: The Biden administration is pressuring Israel to renew its membership in the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization, UNESCO. The US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Israel announced its withdrawal from UNESCO in 2017, just days after the US did so. In Israel, they stated at the time that it was unthinkable that Israel’s control of a place like the Western Wall would be defined by the UN as an “occupation.” This is what Ariel Kahana publishes in “Israel Today”.
Contrary to President Trump’s approach, the Biden administration advocates cooperation with the UN and its institutions – and one of the steps the US is interested in is a return to full membership in UNESCO. The United States will not transfer funding to UN agencies that have accepted the Palestinian Authority as a member state – a move that UNESCO has taken to the voice of US and Israeli protests.
Contrary to President Trump’s approach, the Biden administration advocates cooperation with the UN and its institutions – and one of the steps the US is interested in is a return to full membership in UNESCO. The United States will not transfer funding to UN agencies that have accepted the Palestinian Authority as a member state – a move that UNESCO has taken to the voice of US and Israeli protests.
In the current political situation of the administration, for a law of this kind no majority will be found – hence the appeal to Israel. The administration believes that if Israel agrees to return to the UN organization, opposition among Republicans in Congress will be softer, and the law that will allow payments to UNESCO will find a majority. Israel has so far not responded to American inquiries.
As early as 2016, it was the then Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett, who announced the cessation of professional activity with the organization. The person who is currently serving as prime minister wrote at the time that: “UNESCO is giving back to terrorism. Whoever gives a prize to jihadist supporters in Jerusalem in the week in which two Jews were murdered in the city, may God forbid be next in line. The Western world must stand up to UNESCO, and against the Peres of Terrorism. “Separating Jerusalem from Israel will be a domino that will eventually hurt the entire Western world.”