The Israeli prime minister is wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity [Getty]
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Wednesday accused the UN Human Rights Council of anti-Semitism as he announced Israel would boycott of the United Nations body.
“This body has focused on attacking a democratic country and propagating anti-Semitism, instead of promoting human rights,” Saar said in a post on X.
The announcement came hours after Donald Trump said the US would leave the organisation.
In response to the boycott announcement, UNHRC spokesman Pascal Sim said Israel had “observer state status” within the rights body and was “not one of the 47 member states”.
As such, it cannot “withdraw from the council”, he added.
Israel has previously participated in periodic reviews that UN members must submit to the UNHRC.
For several years, however, it has boycotted debates on the “human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories”.
Israel has for decades been accused of committing grave human rights abuses against Palestinians and Arabs in neighbouring countries, and is preparing to fight charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its assault on Gaza.
Its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, is wanted internationally in connection for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Palestinians in Gaza.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order saying Washington was withdrawing from a number of United Nations bodies, including its Human Rights Council.
The executive order also said it withdrew the United States from the UN relief agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, with which Israel cut ties on Thursday accusing the body of providing cover for Hamas militants.
