Israel has announced that it will immediately sever all contact with several United Nations agencies and international bodies following a review conducted after the United States’ withdrawal from dozens of international organisations. The decision was described by Jerusalem as a response to what it called persistent bias, politicisation, and actions hostile to Israel by the affected bodies.

Last week, US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from 66 international organisations and treaties, accusing the bodies of acting “contrary to the interests of the United States.”

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Israel’s foreign ministry explained that the move followed a thorough review and discussions held in the aftermath of the US withdrawal. The ministry quoted Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in its message:

“After an examination and discussion conducted following the US withdrawal from dozens of international organisations, Israel’s minister of foreign affairs @gidonsaar has decided that Israel will immediately sever all contact with the following UN agencies and international organisations. In addition, Foreign Minister Sa’ar has instructed his Ministry to immediately examine, in consultation with relevant government ministries, when necessary, the continued cooperation between Israel and other organisations. Further decisions will be made following thorough examination and an additional discussion.”

According to the Times of India report, the decision will apply immediately to the following organisations:

• Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
• UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
• UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
• UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
• UN Alliance of Civilisations
• UN Energy
• Global Forum on Migration and Development

The foreign ministry said it was ending cooperation with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict after the body included the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on its annual “blacklist” on children in armed conflict. The ministry noted that Israel was the only democratic country listed alongside groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram, and that Israel had already cut ties with the office in June 2024.

Regarding UN Women, Israel said it withdrew after the agency “deliberately ignored all cases of sexual violence committed against Israeli women on October 7, 2023.”

The foreign ministry also said it decided to end ties with UNCTAD and ESCWA because of what it described as “virulent anti-Israel reports”, and noted that Israel had already been disengaged from both bodies for years. It accused the UN Alliance of Civilisations of being “used as a platform for attacks against Israel.”

In its statement, the ministry described UN Energy as “a wasteful organisation,” saying it exemplified the “excessive and inefficient bureaucracy of the United Nations.” It also criticised the Global Forum on Migration and Development, claiming the forum “erodes the ability of sovereign nations to enforce their own immigration laws.”

The Times of India report noted that Israel has long accused the United Nations of systemic bias. Jerusalem has said that more resolutions are passed against it each year than against all other countries combined.

The report added that Israel has been especially critical of UNRWA — the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees — accusing it, even before Hamas’s attack of October 7, 2023, of colluding with Hamas and promoting anti-Israel incitement. Israel has banned UNRWA from operating within its territory and restricted its activities in Gaza and the West Bank.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s directive also instructed his ministry to immediately examine, in consultation with relevant government ministries where necessary, whether cooperation with other international organisations should continue. The ministry said further decisions will be made following a thorough examination and additional discussion.

This move by Israel comes as part of a broader reassessment of its engagement with global organisations, influenced by the recent US decision to pull back from multilateral bodies. Israel’s announcement underscores its concern over perceived bias and inefficiency in parts of the United Nations system and other international forums.