President Trump Reportedly Will Stop US Relations With UN Human Rights Council And UNRWA Funding

President Trump. (Twitter/@WhiteHouse)

JAKARTA - President Donald Trump is expected to terminate relations between the United States and the UN Human Rights Council (HAM) and continue to suspend funding for the UN aid agency for Palestine, UNRWA said, a White House official.

The move coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long-standing visit to Washington criticizing UNRWA, accusing the agency of an anti-Israeli incitement and its staff of being "involved in terrorist activities against Israel," Reuters said on February 4.

The United Nations and UNRWA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, the working group of the Human Rights Council will review US human rights records in August, a process experienced by all countries every few years.

While the council does not have legally binding force, its debate has political weight and criticism can increase global pressure on governments to change courses.

Separately, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, on Monday praised the steps President Trump is expected to take, accusing the Human Rights Council of "aggressively promoting extreme anti-Semitism."

"At the same time, UNRWA has long lost its status as an independent humanitarian organization, and has turned into a terrorist authority controlled by Hamas under the guise of a humanitarian agency," he said.

Meanwhile, UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said last week the agency had been targeted by a "ferocious disinformation campaign" to "image the agency as a terrorist organization."

Trump also suspended funding for UNRWA, questioning its value, saying Palestine needed to agree to renew peace negotiations with Israel, calling for unspecified reforms.

Trump's first administration also left the 47-member Human Rights Council amid a third-year term due to so-called chronic bias towards Israel and lack of reform.

Uncle Sam's own country is currently not the Geneva-centric member. Under former Democratic President Joe Biden, the US was re-elected and served for the 2022-2024 period.

Since taking office for the second term on January 20, Trump has ordered the US to withdraw from the World Health Organization and from the Paris climate agreement - as well as the steps it took during his first term.

The US is UNRWA's largest donor, about 300 million-400 million US dollars per year. President Joe Biden suspended funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of taking part in a deadly strike on October 7, 2023 in Israel by Palestinian militant Hamas that sparked war in Gaza.

The US Congress then officially suspended contributions to UNRWA until at least March 2025. UNRWA provides assistance, health and education services for millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.

The United Nations said nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and have been fired. A Hamas commander in Lebanon - who was killed in September by Israel - was also found to have a job at UNRWA. The United Nations has pledged to investigate all charges made and repeatedly asked Israel for evidence, which it says has not been provided.

Israel's ban comes into effect on January 30, which prohibits UNRWA from operating in its territory or communicating with Israeli authorities. UNRWA said operations in Gaza and the West Bank would also be disrupted.

Since January 30, Israel has banned UNRWA from operating in its territory or communicating with Israeli authorities, in accordance with a law passed last October by Knesset (Israeli Parliament).

UNRWA in turn warned that these provisions would have an impact on their operations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.