Overview
- Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar ordered an immediate suspension of contacts and named seven entities: the Office for Children and Armed Conflict, UN Women, UNCTAD, ESCWA, the UN Alliance of Civilizations, UN-Energy, and the Global Forum on Migration and Development.
- The Foreign Ministry said further cooperation with additional international bodies is under review, with more decisions to follow after analysis, according to spokesman Oren Marmorstein.
- Israel noted it had already severed ties with four of the listed UN bodies in prior moves during 2024, including the children and armed conflict office, UN Women, UNCTAD, and ESCWA.
- The government cited what it called persistent bias, politicisation, hostility toward Israel, inefficiency, and threats to state sovereignty as the rationale for the withdrawals.
- The announcement follows President Donald Trump's directive for the United States to exit 66 international organizations, including 31 UN bodies, a shift that outlets said deepens Israel’s rift with parts of the UN over the Gaza war.