US and Israel formally quit Unesco

The United States and Israel have officially quit the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day, the culmination of a process triggered more than a year ago.

The Trump administration filed its notice to withdraw in October 2017 and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu followed suit, accusing the UN agency of anti-Israel bias.

The Paris-based organisation has previously criticised Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem and granted full membership to Palestine in 2011. The US has demanded "fundamental reform" in the agency.