On Thursday, the Trump administration announced it is withdrawing from UNESCO—that’s the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. This is the U.S. chargé d’affaires at UNESCO, Chris Hegadorn.

Chris Hegadorn: “The second issue: Unfortunately, this venue has become politicized, undermining the work of UNESCO across its mandate. It’s become a venue for anti-Israel bias. And, unfortunately, we are taking the decision to withdraw from UNESCO at this time.”

In response, the director-general of UNESCO said, “At the time when conflicts continue to tear apart societies across the world, it is deeply regrettable for the United States to withdraw from the United Nations agency promoting education for peace and protecting culture under attack.” That’s Director-General Irina Bokova. Hours after the U.S. withdrew, Israel then also pulled out of UNESCO.