U.S., Israel, formally leave UNESCO

Jan. 1 (UPI) -- The United States and Israel on Tuesday formally exited UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, after accusing the agency of anti-Israel bias.

The countries announced their intention to leave the agency in October 2017 after UNESCO countries voted to make the Palestinian city of Hebron a world historical site.

Israel, whose occupation of Palestine violates international law, argued that UNESCO's decision to recognize Palestinian sites was inspired by anti-Israel sentiment.

"UNESCO is a body that continually rewrites history, including by erasing the Jewish connection to Jerusalem," Israel's Ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon told the Times of Israel on Monday.

Danon added: "It is corrupted and manipulated by Israel's enemies, and continually singles out the only Jewish state for condemnation. We are not going to be a member of an organization that deliberately acts against us."

The United States has been at odds with UNESCO since the agency recognized and admitted Palestine in 2011.

That year, the Obama administration cut-off funding to UNESCO for its recognition of Palestine.

The United States stopped funding UNESCO altogether that year and has since accrued more than $600 million in unpaid dues.