--- title: Nikki Haley: U.S. May Quit U.N. Rights Council Over Israel description: The U.S. may withdraw from the U.N. Human Rights Council, pending reforms to policies such as a perceived "anti-Israel bias" among members canonical: https://time.com/4806801/nikki-haley-human-rights-council-israel/ author: Ryan Kilpatrick article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-06T09:50:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:16.269Z article:section: Politics og:title: United States May Withdraw From U.N. Human Rights Council og:description: Ambassador Haley says the council must stop "singling out Israel" og:url: https://time.com/4806801/nikki-haley-human-rights-council-israel/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0c7b8feec16071e7/6988d04ae76ad2a17862dc29/gettyimages-664196400.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: US Ambassador To The UN Nikki Haley Holds News Conference At The United Nations og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: United States May Withdraw From U.N. Human Rights Council twitter:description: Ambassador Haley says the council must stop "singling out Israel" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0c7b8feec16071e7/6988d04ae76ad2a17862dc29/gettyimages-664196400.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The U.S. May Leave the U.N. Human Rights Council Over 'Anti-Israel Bias' ## Video: Nikki Haley Defends U.S. Airstrikes On Syria [Watch (HLS stream): Nikki Haley Defends U.S. Airstrikes On Syria](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/6s9hgj0U.m3u8) (1:22)  _Published 2017-04-07. United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley defended the United States' decision to conduct unilateral airstrikes against Syria in a meeting of the United Nations Security Council._ by [Ryan Kilpatrick](https://time.com/author/ryan-kilpatrick/) ## Ryan Kilpatrick Jun 6, 2017 9:50 AM UTC  U.S. Ambassador to the United Nation Nikki Haley at the United Nations headquarters on April 3, 2017. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nation Nikki Haley at the United Nations headquarters on April 3, 2017.Drew Angerer—Getty Images by [Ryan Kilpatrick](https://time.com/author/ryan-kilpatrick/) ## Ryan Kilpatrick Jun 6, 2017 9:50 AM UTC The U.S. is expected to announce Tuesday that it may withdraw from the U.N. Human Rights Council, pending reforms to policies and removing what Washington views as a perceived “anti-Israel bias” among member states. Reuters [reports ](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-un-rights-idUSKBN18W173)that diplomats and activists are expecting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley to deliver an ultimatum when she addresses members in Geneva for a three-week session. Haley has recently ramped up her criticism of the council, [warning](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-un-human-rights-council-whitewashes-brutality/2017/06/02/c3757c2a-46e6-11e7-a196-a1bb629f64cb%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.0cac337520fe) in an opinion column published in the Washington _Post_ last week that she will “outline changes that must be made.” Haley accused the council of “whitewashing brutality” by welcoming countries such as Venezuela and Cuba as members, though she did not mention the inclusion of other alleged rights violators such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, both U.S. allies. The Ambassador also said the council must “end its practice of wrongly singling out Israel for criticism.” “When the council passes more than 70 resolutions against Israel,” Haley wrote, “and just seven resolutions against Iran \[…\] you know something is seriously wrong.” The administration of President Donald Trump is not the first to criticize the council for its focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Former President George W. Bush boycotted the council in 2007, and the U.S. was later brought back into the fold when Barack Obama assumed office in 2009. The possibility of a U.S. exit from the council has alarmed human rights groups, including those with links to Israel. Reuters reports that a letter written to Haley in May from eight independent groups, including Freedom House and the Jacob Blaustein Institute, warned that a U.S. exit might make Israel more vulnerable to targeting by other members. \[[_Reuters_](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-un-rights-idUSKBN18W173)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4806801/nikki-haley-human-rights-council-israel/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4806801/nikki-haley-human-rights-council-israel/"},"headline":"The U.S. May Leave the U.N. 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