Israeli PM says declines UNESCO invitation

Pulse 21:05 - 26 September 2018

Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel withdrew from the United Nationsl Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2017, accusing it of adopting anti-Israeli policies

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had turned down an invitation on Wednesday to a UNESCO conference on anti-Semitism during a visit to New York, over its "egregious bias" against his country.

The Jewish state withdrew from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2017, accusing it of adopting anti-Israeli policies, following the lead of the United States.

"While I commend all efforts to combat anti-Semitism, I have decided not to participate in this week's UNESCO conference on anti-Semitism due to the organisation's persistent and egregious bias against Israel," Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office.

He said UNESCO "must do more than host a conference on anti-Semitism. It must stop practising anti-Semitism."