Israel has decided to follow the United States' lead and withdraw from UNESCO, AFP reported on Thursday citing a statement of the country's government. The US and Israel have both criticized UNESCO since it accepted Palestine as a full member state in 2011.
Earlier, the US Department of State announced it will leave UNESCO on December 31, 2018, as a result of the organization's "anti-Israel bias." Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon praised Washington's decision, claiming it means that the UN's culture and education body will see there is a "price to pay for discrimination against Israel."
Meanwhile, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova expressed "profound regret" over US' withdrawal and Russia's presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Washington's decision "sad news."
