Trump to withdraw US from UN Rights Council, extend UNRWA funds ban: Report

It is reported that U.S. President Trump is expected to sign an executive order during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House, cutting off ties and funding to United Nations agencies. A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told U.S. media that Trump plans to terminate U.S. cooperation with the UN Human Rights Council and extend the funding ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Multiple U.S. news outlets, including Politico and NPR, reported on Monday that Trump is expected to sign the executive order on Tuesday, withdrawing from the two UN agencies. The White House is expected to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the same day, who has long been a critic of the United Nations, particularly UNRWA.

Since his second inauguration on January 20, Trump has already announced the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Agreement. He also withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement during his first term, but this move was later overturned by the Biden administration. This would not be the first time Trump has withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council, as he did so during his first term as well.

When the Trump administration withdrew from the Human Rights Council in 2018, then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley claimed that the move was due to the body's "long-standing bias" against Israel. The Human Rights Council consists of 47 UN member states, elected to serve three-year terms. The Council conducts regular reviews of the human rights records of UN member states, including the United States, with the next U.S. review scheduled for August.

During the Council's last review of the United States in 2020, countries made recommendations on how Washington could improve its human rights record, including addressing racism and closing Guantanamo Bay prison. The Council is also responsible for appointing human rights experts to serve as independent UN special rapporteurs. Some UN special rapporteurs have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, most notably Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.

Trump's plan to sign another executive order specifically targeting UNRWA coincides with Netanyahu's visit to the White House. According to an UNRWA situation report, during Israel's 15-month-long assault on the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces killed 272 UNRWA staff members and repeatedly struck UNRWA buildings, including schools where thousands of Palestinians were seeking shelter.

Last October, the Israeli parliament (Knesset) passed two bills banning UNRWA from operating within Israel, including occupied East Jerusalem, and these bills took effect last week. UNRWA was established by the UN General Assembly in 1949 to provide assistance, healthcare, and education services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.

The United States was formerly UNRWA's largest donor, providing $300 to $400 million in funding annually, but in January 2024, Biden suspended funding to UNRWA after Israel made unsubstantiated allegations that a dozen UNRWA staff members were involved in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Although an independent report found that Israeli authorities had not provided evidence to the UN for their allegations, the U.S. Congress decided to formally suspend contributions to UNRWA until at least March 2025. The UN later found that nine employees may have been involved in the attacks and were terminated.

Currently, a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in place, and UNRWA plays a crucial role in the recovery of Gaza. Trump and Netanyahu are expected to discuss the next phase of the ceasefire agreement during their meeting. After Netanyahu arrived in the United States on Monday, Trump stated that there was no "guarantee" that the ceasefire agreement would hold.