UNESCO vote highlights continued U.N. bias against Israel

"Most people know the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization through its eponymous and popular designation of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. By UNESCO’s own definition, ‘World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.’ But an impending late-September vote by UNESCO again calls into question whether the organization holds to its stated beliefs or fits into the broader pattern of anti-Israel bias that permeates the United Nations.

The clear bias of the United Nations against the State of Israel was on full display in 2022. The UN General Assembly passed 28 resolutions criticizing countries last year. Of these resolutions, 15 criticized Israel, with the remaining 13 sufficing for all other countries combined. In a world beset by conflict, with war in Ukraine, genocide against the Uyghurs in China, violence in Myanmar, the Taliban horrors in Afghanistan, instability in the Sahel, military infighting in the Sudan and gang violence in Haiti, Israel being the primary focus of U.N. criticism is totally inappropriate...

Given the bias evidenced in the UNGA and UNSC, it should not come as a surprise to find anti-Israel bias at other U.N. organizations, such as UNESCO. In one of the latest examples, UNESCO recently announced it will vote on whether to designate the city of Jericho as a ‘Palestinian’ heritage site. This is a clear attack on Christians and Jews, who also view the city as an important part of their cultural and religious history. The Biden administration should object to this designation and protest UNESCO’s clear bias strongly...

President Joe Biden made the poorly-timed decision to rejoin UNESCO in July 2023. Given the pending vote by UNESCO regarding Jericho becoming a ‘Palestinian heritage site,’ the Biden administration should reconsider its decision to rejoin the organization. This is an in-your-face decision by UNESCO that will only increase tensions and undercut the very foundation of UNESCO’s mission. By exiting UNESCO again, Washington would send a clear message that it will not tolerate the organization’s anti-Israel bias and that it will stand up to other racist and anti-semitic actions at the United Nations."