US President Donald Trump issued an executive order demanding a review of the global body’s budget and the US’s withdrawal from United Nations organizations such as the Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
According to the executive order, Washington will reconsider its participation in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and withdraw from the UNHRC and UNRWA, the principal UN organization for Palestinian relief.
Trump emphasized the UN’s “tremendous potential” while condemning it of “not being well run.” Additionally, he said that US support for the international organization was “disproportionate” and demanded that all nations contribute.
White House staff secretary Will Scharf stated that the action was taken in response to “anti-American bias” at the United Nations organizations. “More generally, given the extreme differences and funding levels among nations, the executive order calls for a review of U.S. involvement and funding in the UN,” Scharf continued.
Many of the 1.9 million people who have been displaced by the war in Gaza depend on UNRWA’s delivery to survive, making it the main humanitarian organization for Palestinians.
Washington had backed Israel’s decision to outlaw the organization under Trump after the US ally charged UNRWA with disseminating hate speech.
After Israel claimed that 12 UNRWA personnel were implicated in the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, then-President Joe Biden’s administration froze US financing for the organization, which amounts to between $300 million to $400 million annually, in January 2024. Investigations at UNRWA found a few “neutrality-related issues,” but they found no proof to support Israel’s claims.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, is visiting Washington at the same time as the vote to leave UN agencies. Netanyahu has long attacked UNRWA, saying its employees were “involved in terrorist activities against Israel” and accusing the organization of inciting anti-Israel sentiment.
Trump also reduced funding for UNRWA during his first term (2017–2021), citing concerns about its efficacy, demanding that the Palestinians begin peace negotiations with Israel, and demanding other improvements.
Midway through its three-year tenure, his administration also resigned from the 47-member Human Rights Council, claiming that it had failed to enact reforms and had long harbored anti-Israel sentiment.
