US to withdraw from UNESCO

Australia won’t follow the US and Israel in withdrawing from the United Nations’ cultural agency but Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has backed criticism that UNESCO has unfairly targeted the Jewish state.

US President Donald Trump sent a powerful signal by announcing the Americans would withdraw from UNESCO after accusing it of anti-Israel bias. Israel said it would follow suit.

Speaking today, Ms Bishop said Australia’s view was to “try to affect change from within the membership of UNESCO’’.

“I believe this is another message from the United States that they won’t tolerate the anti-Israel bias that is so manifest in some UN organisations,’’ she told Sky News.

“Australia has expressed our concern as well in various forums in the United Nations about the persistent and consistent targeting of Israel to the exclusion of others.

“We voted against a UNESCO resolution recently which was targeted at Israel and only Israel, so it’s not the first time the United States has done it.”

Read the article by  Stefanie Balogh in The Australian.