The US Is Withdrawing from UNESCO Over 'Anti-Israel Bias'

UPDATE: Israel is following the U.S.'s lead.

BREAKING: Netanyahu says Israel will follow the United States in pulling out of the United Nations' cultural agency.

— The Associated Press (@AP) October 12, 2017

***Original Post***

The United States is withdrawing from the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization over its supposed anti-Israel bias.

JUST IN: U.S. says it's withdrawing from UNESCO, citing an "anti-Israel bias" pic.twitter.com/4k5nQXMhcS

— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 12, 2017

The move is not a surprise, considering the Trump administration's public rebukes this past year. In July, UN ambassador Nikki Haley condemned UNESCO for declaring the Tomb of the Patriarchs an endangered Palestinian world heritage site.

“The UNESCO vote on Hebron is tragic on several levels," Haley said at the time. "It represents an affront to history.” 

That was hardly UNESCO's only apparent anti-Israel behavior. In 2011, the agency voted to include Palestine as a member in 2011. The U.S. was strongly against it and withdrew funding, but the State Department remained in the world body.

No longer. This is what the White House has reportedly been planning for months.

UNESCO director general Irina Bokova has issued the following statement in response.

UNESCO: "This is a loss to UNESCO. This is a loss to the United Nations family. This is a loss for multilateralism" https://t.co/VfY3BqnsPD pic.twitter.com/fJbbpetQh6

— David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) October 12, 2017