Trump set to withdraw U.S. from UNHRC and cut funding to UNRWA
By lauraharris // 2025-02-07
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  • President Donald Trump is set to issue an executive order pulling the United States out of the UNHRC and halting funding to UNRWA, the agency providing aid to Palestinian refugees.
  • The decision follows reports of UNRWA staffers' involvement in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and longstanding U.S. criticism of the UNHRC's bias against Israel.
  • The White House states that the UNHRC has not fulfilled its purpose and has been used to protect countries committing human rights violations, with a disproportionate focus on Israeli human rights issues.
  • The executive order mandates a review of international organizations, conventions, and treaties that promote radical or anti-American sentiment, with a focus on UNESCO.
  • Critics argue that the UNHRC and UNRWA play crucial roles in addressing human rights abuses and providing humanitarian aid, respectively, while supporters, like Israel's U.N. ambassador, claim UNRWA has turned into a "terrorist authority."
President Donald Trump is set to issue an executive order that will pull the United States out of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and halt funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). According to several reports, the decision to withdraw from the UNHRC and cut funding to UNRWA follows a series of events, including reports of UNRWA staffers' involvement in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The U.S. has long accused the UNHRC of bias against Israel and has criticized the organization for what it views as disproportionate focus on Israeli human rights issues. The White House released a fact sheet that states the UNHRC "has not fulfilled its purpose and continues to be used as a protective body for countries committing horrific human rights violations." "The UNHRC has demonstrated consistent bias against Israel, focusing on it unfairly and disproportionately in council proceedings," the document read. "In 2018, the year President Trump withdrew from the UNHRC in his first administration, the organization passed more resolutions condemning Israel than Syria, Iran and North Korea combined." The executive order also mandates Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review and report on international organizations, conventions, or treaties that "promote radical or anti-American sentiment." The review will focus particularly on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which the U.S. withdrew from in 2019, citing an anti-Israel bias. This order will be signed on the same day as Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Tuesday, Feb 4.

UNRWA accused of siding with Hamas

Critics of the move, including human rights organizations and some lawmakers, argue that the UNHRC plays a crucial role in monitoring and addressing human rights abuses around the world. They also point out that UNRWA has been providing essential aid to the Palestinian population in Gaza, particularly in the wake of Israel's offensive following the Oct. 7 attack. However, the U.S., once the largest donor to UNRWA, has paused its funding since January 2024, following accusations that some UNRWA staff were involved in the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini strongly denied these claims, stating that the agency has been the victim of a "fierce disinformation campaign." He argued that UNRWA remains a humanitarian organization dedicated to providing aid, health and education services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. But despite these assurances, the U.S. Congress formally suspended contributions to UNRWA until at least March 2025. Israel's UN ambassador, Danny Danon, also criticized UNRWA, saying it has "long lost its status as an independent humanitarian organization and has turned into a terrorist authority controlled by Hamas." (Related: UN committee condemns Israel's actions as "consistent with characteristics of genocide," calls for Israeli officials to be held accountable.) Visit Trump.news for more stories related to the president. Watch Howard Lutnick, head of the second Trump transition team, discussing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s potential position in the Trump administration.
This video is from the Thrivetime Show channel on Brighteon.com.

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Sources include: AlJazeera.com Politico.com Reuters.com Brighteon.com
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