The United States and Israel have [official / officially]  quit UNESCO. This is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The two countries pulled out of UNESCO at the [struck / stroke]  of midnight as the New Year came in. It is the second [time / timing]  for the U.S. to pull out of UNESCO. The first time was in 1984, when it thought [an / the]  agency was favoring the old Soviet Union too [much / many] . The U.S. then rejoined in 2003. The current withdrawal started because both [nations / nationals]  were worried that UNESCO was [based / biased]  against Israel. Nikki Haley, the current U.S. [ambassador / embassy]  to the United Nations, said: "UNESCO is among the most [corrupt / corruption]  and politically biased UN agencies. Today, the U.S. [withdrawal / withdraw]  from this cesspool became official."
UNESCO was co-founded [by / at]  the U.S. after World War II. It seeks to build [piece / peace]  through international cooperation in education, the [sciences / scientific]  and culture. The agency is best [known / knowing]  for its World Heritage program, which [protracts / protects]  cultural sites and traditions around the world. UNESCO also works to [reprove / improve]  education for girls, promote understanding of the [horrific / horrors]  of the Holocaust, and defend freedom of the [press / push] . The U.S. said it intends to follow UNESCO as a non-member "observer state". The Israeli [convoy / envoy]  to the United Nations Danny Danon said his country, "will not be a member of an organization whose goal is to deliberately act [for / against]  us".