Palestine has accused the U.S of withdrawing from UNESCO over “anti-Israel bias,” and noted that the organisation will keep operating.
With a mounting debt clocking six years, Washington gave notice of withdrawal from the United Nation’s body by 2018.
According to Sputnik, Palestine lamented the move which it described as highly political.
Palestine said that as an organisation, UNESCO limited its scope of operation and focuses on the cultural, educational and heritage dimensions.
“We are confident that the organisation can survive such behaviour, in the same way, it survived previous similar intimidations in the past.
“We will maintain protecting the total independence and professionalism of the organisation.”
The country slammed Washington for using its membership in the organisation as a tool to push through the interests of Israel that has “occupied” Palestinian territories in “flagrant violation of international law.”
“The US government decides to stand by the occupiers, and the violators of the same principles and laws that the UNESCO as a UN organisation was entrusted to protect.”
The US State Department announced on Thursday that Washington would leave the UN cultural body by the end of 2018.
It stated that the organisation needed to be reformed.
The US move was followed by a similar step from Israel, which announced its own withdrawal from the organisation just several hours later.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has said Moscow regretted US’ decision, saying it would badly affect the organisation.
US Withdrawal From UNESCO Indicates Growing Washington’s isolation.
This was not the first time the US has exited the international organisation.
President Ronald Reagan withdrew the US from UNESCO in 1983, but President George W. Bush rejoined the organisation in 2003.
READ ALSO: US pulls out of UNESCO December, 2018
The US also moved to stop funding UNESCO in 2011 when Palestine became a full member of the organisation.
The Palestinians have been in a state of conflict with the Israelis since the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948.
In recent years, the conflict has been exacerbated by Israel’s construction activities in East Jerusalem, considered by many countries as the territory of Palestine.
Earlier this year UNESCO adopted a resolution that called Israel an “occupant power.”
After that Tel Aviv slashed its donations to the UN.
