UNESCO A few years ago, Israel left UNESCO together with the United States due to their anti-Israel bias. This came after UNESCO recognized the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the second holiest site in the Jewish faith, as âan integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories.â In addition, the international body has denied the Jewish connection to Rachelâs Tomb and the Temple Mount including the Western Wall, the holiest place in the world in Judaism. At the time, Israel explained that they left UNESCO largely because they felt that they could not take a stronger pro-Israel stance than President Trump, who left the international body because they were anti-Israel.