President Donald Trump is expected to withdraw the United States from the United Nations Human Rights Council and put a halt to funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency on Tuesday, the same day he's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Politico reported Monday.
Trump's executive order would reinstate policies that were in place under his first administration eight years ago. Trump moved the signing of the executive order to Tuesday from Monday, according to the report.
The U.S. has accused the HRC of "consistent bias" against Israel, while the UNRWA has been linked to the Hamas terrorists, with Israel — not the U.N. — outing several agency staffers also being members of the Gazan terrorist outfit. Former President Joe Biden paused funding to UNRWA after the agency fired members it confirmed were involved in the Oct. 7, 2021, attacks and slaughter of 1,200 Jews inside Israel.
Israel in November passed a ban on UNRWA operating on Israeli soil and cutting off contact with the agency. That ban went into effect last Thursday. Israel also has long opposed the HRC, accusing it of bias against the Jewish state.
As for the HRC, a White House fact sheet obtained by Politico said the council "has not fulfilled its purpose and continues to be used as a protective body for countries committing horrific human rights violations."
"The UNHRC has demonstrated consistent bias against Israel, focusing on it unfairly and disproportionately in council proceedings," read the document, Politico reported. "In 2018, the year President Trump withdrew from the UNHRC in his first administration, the organization passed more resolutions condemning Israel than Syria, Iran, and North Korea combined."
Trump and Netanyahu on Tuesday are expected to talk about a second phase of the ceasefire with Hamas, including the freeing of all hostages that remain in Gaza, as well as countering Iran's influence in the region.
Trump's executive order will also instruct Secretary of State Marco Rubio to report to the White House on international organizations that "promote radical or anti-American sentiment," according to Politico.
The U.S. under Biden engaged with the HRC, as it did under former President Barack Obama. Trump and former President George W. Bush withdrew the U.S. from engaging with the council.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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