The United States and Israel announced today (October 12, 2017) that they were quitting the United Nations' cultural agency, UNESCO, on December 31, 2017, after Washington accused it of anti-Israel bias, according to the Reuters website.
The withdrawal of the United States -- which provides a fifth of UNESCO's budget of $653 million a year -- is a major blow for the Paris-based organization.
Founded after World War II to protect culture and natural heritage around the world, UNESCO is known for designating World Heritage Sites such as the city of Palmyra in Syria and the Grand Canyon National Park.
The State Department decided to quit UNESCO because of the organization's financial plight and its voting against Israel on several occasions during the past year. Hours after the U.S. decision, Israel also announced it would leave UNESCO.
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