# U.S. withdraws from UNESCO, the U.N.’s cultural organization, citing anti-Israel bias **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 12, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-withdraws-from-unesco-the-u-n-s-cultural-organization-citing-anti-israel-bias/798657 "2017-10-12T17:00:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-withdraws-from-unesco-the-u-n-s-cultural-organization-citing-anti-israel-bias/798657/1 "2017-10-12T17:00:46Z")
> [@](#): > > The United States plans to withdraw from UNESCO, citing financial reasons, as well as what it said was an anti-Israel bias at the U.N.’s educational, cultural and science organization. > > The decision to withdraw from UNESCO was announced Thursday morning by the State Department, which said the United States would remain involved as a nonmember observer state. > **[U.S. withdraws from UNESCO, the U.N.’s cultural organization, citing...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/10/12/u-s-withdraws-from-unesco-the-u-n-s-cultural-organization-citing-anti-israel-bias/)** > > The U.S., which helped found UNESCO after World War II, will withdraw as a member at the end of 2018. It seems bizarre that an organization devoted to educational, scientific and cultural cooperation would be so controversial in the U.S. If you look at a list of activities most are worth doing: > **[UNESCO | Activities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO#Activities)** > > UNESCO implements its activities through the five programme areas: education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and communication and information.\[citation needed\] > 1.UNESCO supports research in comparative education, provides expertise and fosters partnerships to strengthen national educational leadership and the capacity of countries to offer quality education for all. This includes the > UNESCO Chairs, an international network of 644 UNESCO Chairs, involving over 770 institut... ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-withdraws-from-unesco-the-u-n-s-cultural-organization-citing-anti-israel-bias/798657/2 "2017-10-12T17:14:32Z")
And now Israel has done the same. It’s easy to see why they are like the 51st state. > **[Israel to join US in quitting Unesco](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41598991)** > > Hours after the US says it is pulling out of the UN cultural agency, Israel says it will leave too. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-withdraws-from-unesco-the-u-n-s-cultural-organization-citing-anti-israel-bias/798657/3 "2017-10-12T17:21:15Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/10/12/u-s-withdraws-from-unesco-the-u-n-s-cultural-organization-citing-anti-israel-bias/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/10/12/u-s-withdraws-from-unesco-the-u-n-s-cultural-organization-citing-anti-israel-bias/) > > It seems bizarre that an organization devoted to educational, scientific and cultural cooperation would be so controversial in the U.S. If you look at a list of activities most are worth doing: > [UNESCO - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO#Activities) It’s not bizarre at all. Education, science, and cultural cooperation are not what Republicans are about. They are as Kryptonite to the right. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-withdraws-from-unesco-the-u-n-s-cultural-organization-citing-anti-israel-bias/798657/4 "2017-10-12T17:36:01Z")
> [@](#): > > State Department officials cited a 2012 decision not to expel Syria from its human rights committee after the civil war in that country began, and repeated resolutions that refer to Israel as an occupying power. > [@](#): > > The withdrawal means the U.S. will halt the arrears it has run-up since it stopped funding the organization in 2011 to protest the admission of the Palestinian Authority as a full member. Darn that Obama for his anti-cultureness. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-withdraws-from-unesco-the-u-n-s-cultural-organization-citing-anti-israel-bias/798657/5 "2017-10-12T23:47:30Z")
I think Trump’s isolationist policies are a bad idea. I think it’s better to sit with others at the table and talk and interact than to sit alone. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-withdraws-from-unesco-the-u-n-s-cultural-organization-citing-anti-israel-bias/798657/6 "2017-10-13T04:02:09Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/10/12/u-s-withdraws-from-unesco-the-u-n-s-cultural-organization-citing-anti-israel-bias/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/10/12/u-s-withdraws-from-unesco-the-u-n-s-cultural-organization-citing-anti-israel-bias/) (post shortened) _The most immediate impact is that the U.S. will halt the arrears it has run up since it stopped funding the organization in 2011 to protest UNESCO’s admission of Palestine as a full member. By the end of this calendar year, the unpaid U.S. bill will amount to $550 million._ It appears that the U.S. objects to paying the UN for the UN’s projects that the U.S. doesn’t agree with. Since 2011. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-withdraws-from-unesco-the-u-n-s-cultural-organization-citing-anti-israel-bias/798657/7 "2023-06-12T22:14:00Z")
> **[US decides to rejoin UNESCO and pay back dues, to counter Chinese influence](https://apnews.com/article/unesco-us-rejoin-palestine-china-5b7849bd2cae966e4e9837380c0c094f)** > > The U.N. cultural and scientific agency UNESCO has announced that the United States plans to rejoin — and pay more than $600 million in back dues — after a decade-long dispute sparked by the organization’s move to include Palestine as a member. U.S.... Wouldn’t the funds have to be appropriated by Congress? I don’t see the Republican controlled House of Representatives doing this.