Trump Might Leave U.N. Human Rights Council Over Treatment Of Israel, Tillerson Letter Says

The Trump administration was prepared to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations' Human Rights Council if the body doesn't undergo significant reform, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a letter to a group of U.N. advocates and human rights groups this week.

The Trump administration had doubts the council is an effective advocate for human rights given that it includes countries like China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which have demonstrated little regard for human rights in the past, Foreign Policy, which first reported on the letter, said Tuesday.

Tillerson was also worried about what he called the council's "biased treatment of Israel." In March of last year, the council adopted a resolution requiring the U.N. to create a database of companies doing business in Israeli settlements. Israeli officials called the database a "blacklist."

Read: China Attacks US Human Rights, Cites 2016 'Election Fraud'

“We may not share a common view on this, given the makeup of the membership,” Tillerson wrote in the letter. “While it may be the only such organization devoted to human rights, the Human Rights Council requires considerable reform in order for us to continue to participate.”

The 47-member council was formed in 2006 for the "promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe." The U.S. declined to participate under the George W. Bush administration when the group was formed, citing many of the same concerns Tillerson recently voiced. But under President Barack Obama, the U.S. joined the council in 2009.

U.S. withdrawal from the organization was not imminent, sources in the State Department told Foreign Policy, but the council would have to show a desire to change for the U.S. to stay on as a member.

The Trump administration was reportedly debating whether to stay on the council and push for reform or leave a body that many in the administration have deemed ineffective.