Politics

US Withdrawing From UN Human Rights Council

No featured image available

The United States will withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Geneva announced Tuesday.

“The U.S. is officially withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council,” Haley said.

Pompeo cited the continued effort by the Human Rights Council to discredit Israel, saying the organization came up with more resolutions to condemn Israel than any other country in the world.

When organizations undermine the national interests of the United States and their allies, “we will not be complicit,” Pompeo said.

Haley announced in 2017 that a U.S. Senate subcommittee met to consider whether the U.S. should remain a part of the council in an op-ed for the Washington Post, and has since called for an end to the organization’s “chronic anti-Israel bias.”

Haley said then that if she did not see reform in the organization, the U.S. would withdraw.

The withdraw does not come as a surprise, as U.S. sources told Reuterslast Thursday that the exit was “imminent.”

Haley has been a staunch defender of Israel during her time as ambassador, and has oftentimes stood alone or with very few on many U.N. votes and resolutions on Israel’s behalf.

The Council voted to condemnIsrael on June 13 for excessive force against Palestinians protesting on the Gaza Strip, but the General Assembly’s text failed to mention Hamas.

“The nature of this resolution clearly demonstrates that politics is driving the day. It is totally one-sided. It makes not one mention of the Hamas terrorists who routinely initiate the violence in Gaza,” Haley told the Council.

Haley defied the U.N. in favor of Israel in 2017 when the U.S. recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. More than 120 countries voted in favor of a U.N. resolution calling on the U.S. to drop the recognition.

“The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation,”Haley said to the U.N. General Assembly.

The U.S. was one of four countries to vote against the creation of the Human Rights Council in 2006, which was intended to replace the controversial Human Rights Commission that extended membership to major human rights offenders such as Cuba, Iran and China.

Haley previously said she shares a similar view on the U.N. as John Bolton, the former envoy to the U.N. for George W. Bush and current national security advisor.

“I know John Bolton well. I have gotten advice from him, I have talked to him. I know his disdain for the U.N. I share it,” Haleysaid at Duke Universityin April.

The 47-member Council based in Geneva is in the middle of its 38th three week session, ending July 6.

Follow Hanna on Twitter

Email tips to [email protected]