Israel will probably withdraw from other international organizations

The United States this month withdrew from more than 60 international organizations, including the World Health Organization, a step it announced tonight (between Thursday and Friday) – and it seems that Israel plans to follow suit and distance itself from the community of international organizations. In recent weeks, Israel has withdrawn from a number of organizations, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is holding discussions on possible steps. An Israeli source familiar with the details tells N12 that “probably” these discussions will mature into more divorces.

“Following the American decision, Foreign Minister Sa’ar decided to rethink the partnership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Israel in organizations that the United States has also withdrawn from,” added the same source, emphasizing that most of the organizations that the United States has withdrawn from are not relevant to Israel in any case. Discussions have been held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the issue in recent days.

Earlier this week, Israel withdrew from the International Open Government Partnership (OGP), claiming that the organization acted against Israel. “In recent months, the organization has become a political tool to attack Israel and promote anti-Israeli initiatives,” said Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, adding that his conduct was “absurd.” The purpose of the organization, which Israel joined in 2012, is to promote principles of transparency, fighting corruption and improving governance, and 74 countries are members.

Last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to withdraw from several UN agencies and other international organizations, including the UN Energy Organization, the Global Forum for Migration and Development, and the UN Alliance of Civilizations. In the withdrawal notice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that Israel’s membership in other organizations will be “thoroughly examined”. Even earlier, Jerusalem withdrew from several agencies on the grounds of bias against Israel.

At the same time, in recent days the Minister of Environmental Protection Idit Silman directed the professional team of the Ministry to check Israel’s withdrawal from the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which includes the Paris Agreement signed in 2015, and is the most comprehensive and significant agreement in the field of environmental protection, to which almost all the countries of the world have signed.

The Trump administration officially announced its withdrawal from the World Health Organization tonight, after the administration promised to do so in the past. The administration stated that the reason for the retirement is the conduct of the World Health Organization during the Corona epidemic, its unwillingness to carry out reforms and the political influence of the countries that are members of it. The United States was one of the largest contributors to the World Health Organization, but stopped funding it in the last two years.

Voices are also being heard in Israel in favor of withdrawing from the organization, led by Knesset Health Committee Chairman Limor Son Har-Malech (Otzma Yehudit). The Knesset member claimed that “the organization has become a servant in the hands of hostile elements.” According to her, the organization is “collaborating – in silence and sometimes even in action – with the cynical and criminal use by Hamas of hospitals in Gaza as terror bases, and the organization’s CEO chooses to attack Israel, which is defending itself.” Har-Malech even shared that she spoke with the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on the subject.

On the other hand, experts in Israel and the United States came out strongly against retiring from the organization. Dr. Sefi Mendelovitz, the deputy director general of the Ministry of Health, said in the Knesset debate that there is “a duty and necessity to remain in the organization, due to the duty to take care of public health, with all the criticism of it because of its positions towards Israel, and professional disputes with it.” He added that membership in the organization provides research collaborations, assistance during epidemics, use of databases, monitoring Epidemics, real-time updates on the spread of diseases, standardization and regulation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health and senior professionals also expressed explicit opposition to withdrawing from the World Health Organization, in view of the importance of cooperation between the Health Organization and Israel.