Accra, June 20, (dpa/GNA) - The Palestinian Authority (PA) government slammed the United States on Wednesday for pulling out of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHCR) after accusing the body of bias against Israel.
"The withdrawal of the United States from the Human Rights Council exposes the extent to which this administration is willing to go to shield Israel, the occupying power, from accountability," the PA Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement on Wednesday, carried by the official PA news agency Wafa.
US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said on Tuesday that the UNHCR has been "a protector of human rights abusers and a cesspool of political bias."
She said the Geneva-based council has a "chronic bias" against Israel.
Hanan Ashwari, a top member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), condemned Haley's statements as "deceptive and blatantly untrue" on Wednesday.
Israel applauded the US move, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it an "unequivocal statement that enough is enough."
The move is the latest in a string of reversals of US policy by President Donald Trump, including the unilateral withdrawals from the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate accord. The decisions have weighed heavily on ties with key allies.
GNA
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