Israel says it succeeded in bid to withdraw from UNESCO by 2019
Officials deny reports that the Jewish state missed the deadline for leaving the United Nations cultural agency
Denying reports that Israel has missed the deadline for leaving UNESCO, its ambassador to the international body said it has successfully handed in its notice of departure effective 2019.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has agreed to view an email sent to her from the Israeli foreign ministry announcing the pullout effective before 2019, Carmel Shama-Hacohen was quoted as saying in an article published Friday by Haaretz.
It takes a year for the withdrawal to take effect.
Shama-Hacohen’s statement followed previous reports that, despite announcing its intention to leave the organisation for its bias against the Jewish state, Jerusalem did not give notice in time for the membership to end in 2019.
Shama-Hacohen conceded to Haaretz that he and his aide had arrived with a written notice at the Paris UNESCO building when it was closed for the holiday and manned only by security guards, who refused to sign that they had received the document.
Azoulay agreed to view the email notice as official, so that “Israel, which has done every effort to complete the pullout alongside the United States, may not find itself still a member of this unfortunate organisation, which has been hijacked by the Arab states and Islam,” Shama-Hacohen is quoted as saying.
In October, the United States announced that it would leave UNESCO, citing “continuing anti-Israel bias.” Six years ago, the United States cut off more than £59m $80 million a year, about 22 percent of its entire budget for UNESCO, in reprisal for its acceptance of Palestine as a member. Israel also suspended its funding at that time.
Israel and the United States will remain as observer states of UNESCO, whose full name is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organisation.
In recent years, UNESCO has passed resolutions rejecting Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem, and placed the Cave of the Patriarchs and the Old City of Hebron in the State of Palestine on the list of world heritage sites in danger. It frequently refers to the Temple Mount only by its Arabic name, Al-Haram al-Sharif.
Between 2009-2014, UNESCO adopted 46 resolutions against Israel; 1 on Syria; and none on Iran, Sudan, North Korea, or any other country in the world.
In 2011, UNESCO elected Syria’s regime headed by Bashar Assad to its human rights committee.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
