美国退出联合国教科文组织 称其有反以色列偏见

US to Leave UNESCO over Anti-Israel Bias¹

The United States is pulling out of UNESCO, the United Nations organization that encourages worldwide cooperation in education, science, and culture.

In a statement on Thursday, the U.S. State Department says a “need for fundamental reform” and “anti-Israel bias” are reasons for the withdrawal². The decision will take effect Dec. 31, 2018. The U.S. will seek a “permanent observer” status instead.

The United States stopped funding UNESCO after it voted to include Palestine as a member in 2011. But it has kept an office at UNESCO and owes about $550 million in back payments.

U.S. officials said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made the decision. The officials, who remained unnamed, said the United States is angry over UNESCO resolutions denying Jewish connection to holy sites and Israel’s rights to Jerusalem.

Hours later, Israel said that it would also be leaving the UN agency. The office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the U.S. withdrawal “a courageous³ and moral decision.”

The announcement came as the cultural organization is choosing a new director. The outgoing UNESCO chief, Irina Bokova of Bulgaria, called the U.S. withdrawal a loss for “the United Nations family.”

She also noted⁴ UNESCO efforts to support Holocaust⁵ education and train teachers to fight anti-Semitism. She added that the Statue of Liberty is among the many World Heritage sites protected by the organization.

It is not the first time that the United States has withdrawn⁶ from UNESCO. In the 1980s, it left because it viewed the organization as poorly managed, corrupt⁷ and used to advance Soviet⁸ interests.

The U.S. rejoined in 2003.

Other UNESCO members did not immediately comment on the U.S. withdrawal.

Words in This Story

anti-Semitism - n. hatred of Jewish people

1 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

2 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

3 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

6 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

7 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

8 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。