Israel's UN ambassador on Thursday said Washington's decision to pull out of the world body's culture and education agency showed there was a "price to pay for discrimination against Israel".

Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement the decision marked "a new era" at the United Nations, after the US State Department said the United States had decided to leave UNESCO, in part due to "continuing anti-Israel bias".

Washington opposes any move by UN bodies to recognise the Palestinians as a state, believing that this must await a negotiated Middle East peace deal. US President Donald Trump's administration is reviewing many of its multilateral commitments.

Source: AFP