GENEVA, February 6. /TASS/. Israel is not among the 47 countries that are currently members of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and therefore cannot withdraw from a body it is not a member of, Pascal Sim, Media Officer, Human Rights Council, told TASS.
"For the record, Israel has observer status at the UN Human Rights Council, like any of the 193 UN member states that are not among the 47 members of the Council. An observer state at the Council cannot withdraw from a body it is not part of," he said.
Sim also noted that "over the years, Israel has regularly engaged with the Human Rights Council, participating and speaking in several meetings during regular sessions." According to him, the Council welcomes and encourages "the engagement of every UN Member State - whether it is a Council member or a Council observer - in the works of the Council and of its mechanisms."
Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that Israel welcomes the US decision to withdraw from the UNHRC and will also cease its participation in it. According to Saar, the activities of this body are focused on attacks on the democratic state of Israel and the spread of anti-Semitism.
On February 4, the White House press corps reported that Trump signed an executive order on the US withdrawal from the UNHRC and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The UNHRC was established in 2006 as a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly (GA) that deals with situations involving human rights violations. The Council consists of 47 countries that are elected by a majority of UNGA members by direct vote on the basis of geographical distribution. The African and Asia-Pacific States have 13 seats on the body, the Latin American and Caribbean States have 8, Western Europe and other States have 7, and Eastern Europe has 6. Council members serve for three years and are not eligible for re-election after two consecutive terms. One-third of the membership is renewed annually.