Trump to Target UN Rights Body and Palestinian Relief Agency

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump is expected on Tuesday to stop US engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council and continue a halt to funding for the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, a White House official said on Monday.

The move coincides with a visit to Washington by "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long been critical of UNRWA, accusing the agency of anti-"Israel" incitement and its staff of being "involved in terrorist activities against 'Israel'."

An UNRWA spokesperson declined to comment on an order that has not yet been issued, describing the agency's financial situation as already "very, very bad".

UN Human Rights Council spokesperson Pascal Sim stated that no formal process exists due to the US's lack of voting membership.

During Trump's first term in office, from 2017-2021, he also cut off funding for UNRWA, questioning its value, saying that Palestinians needed to agree to renew peace talks with "Israel," and calling for unspecified reforms.

The first Trump administration also quit the 47-member Human Rights Council halfway through a three-year term over what it called chronic bias against "Israel" and a lack of reform.

Biden's envoy to the council previously urged Trump to stay active, partly to counter China's "dangerous" influence.

A Human Rights Council working group is due to review the US human rights record later this year, a process all countries undergo every few years.

While the council has no legally binding power, its debates carry political weight and criticism can raise global pressure on governments to change course.