Israel, US ‘undermining human rights’ by UNHRC withdrawal

Human rights groups and activists have condemned the US and Israel’s withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), warning that the decision weakens international accountability and threatens justice for Palestinians in the wake of Israel’s assault on Gaza.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the UNHRC and the UN relief agency for Palestinians (UNRWA), which has already faced severe restrictions due to Israeli crackdown.

A day later, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, announced that Israel would boycott the UNHRC, citing alleged “antisemitism” –  despite the country only having observer state status within the council.

The moves have sparked widespread condemnation from human rights organisations and activists, who warn of the dangerous implications for Palestinian and global human rights mechanisms.

UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric emphasised the UNHRC’s importance while praising UNRWA’s work in delivering “critical services to Palestinians” amid fears that Palestinians could lose access to food, education, and healthcare. 

Both current and former representatives of rights groups worldwide took to social media to condemn the decisions.

Milena Ansari, Israel and Palestine researcher at Human Rights Watch told The New Arab that the UNHRC was “an important vehicle to promote and protect human rights and to hold states accountable for their actions, including gross and systematic rights violations”.

“While Israel is not a member of the Council, its ‘withdrawal’ is yet another move aimed at shielding itself from accountability and placing itself above the rule of law,” Ansari added.

The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organisation President Kerry Kennedy said that the US was “intentionally abandoning multilateral efforts to advance human rights” in a post on social media platform X. 

“This renewed rejection of engagement sends a troubling message: the US is willing to step back from global human rights mechanisms rather than push for meaningful reforms, contributing to their erosion at a time when they are needed most,” she added. 

Former UN human rights official Craig Mokhiber also wrote in a post on X that the US and Israeli withdrawal from the rights body signalled a rejection of “universal human rights on behalf of political Zionism”.

“UN voices will ‘regret’ the US withdrawal, but I welcome it. The US role on the HRC has always been an obstructive one, using its power to oppose most international human rights efforts.”

Ben Jamal, director of the UK-based pro-Palestine organisation Palestine Solidarity Campaign, told The New Arab that his organisation had called on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to “challenge Trump’s egregious breaches of these principles” and take action against potential violations of international law. 

“President Trump’s withdrawal from the UNHRC, while making an exemption to continue military funding to Israel, alongside his support for Israel’s illegitimate actions to disable UNRWA, are all indicative of a president intent on driving a wrecking ball through international law and fundamental principles of rights and justice,” he added. 

The controversial moves came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had faced backlash over his visit to Washington– despite being the subject of arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Gaza since 7 October 2023. 

In 2018, the first Trump administration withdrew from the 47-member UN body, accusing the UNHRC of anti-Israel bias and a lack of reform. 

Three years later, under the Biden administration, the US won a seat but announced last September that it would not seek a second consecutive term. 

Dawn Clancy, UN correspondent for outlets such as Diplomacy Now, stated that Trump’s order on Tuesday would have little concrete effect, as the US was not a council member. 

“Like all non-members of the Council, the US has observer status and can participate to the degree it chooses,” she wrote in a post on X. 

“As was stated in the [4 February] press briefing in Geneva, ‘An observer state cannot withdraw from a body it is not a member of.'”