Report: U.S. Exit from UNESCO Took Israel by Surprise

The United States didn’t coordinate with Israel ahead of its UNESCO exit Thursday despite close relations between the two countries, per a report in Haaretz.

The State Department cited an anti-Israel bias and need for fundamental reform of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as the reason for its exit. U.S. officials said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made the decision without discussing it with other countries, and senior Israeli officials told Haaretz it learned of the U.S.’ decision from a report posted on the Foreign Policy website late Wednesday.

“The deliberative process that led to the decision to withdraw was an internal U.S. government process and was not discussed with any non-USG entities prior to the secretary’s decision,” a U.S. senior official said.

The officials told the Associated Press that the U.S. is notably angry over UNESCO resolutions denying Jewish connections to holy sites and references to Israel as an occupying power.

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