Israel withdrew from the Open Government Partnership

[Alexander Howard]

The Government of Israel withdrew from the Open Government Partnership in February 2026, claiming that OGP has departed from its founding principles, has become politicized, & that its response policies have been misused to advance selective agendas. 

Take their claims with a bag of salt, & read the letters that initiated the response for yourself: it’s accurate to state that Israel was not upholding and advancing the values of the Open Government Declaration, as is true of the executive branch of the US government.

https://www.opengovpartnership.org/ogp-response-policy/response-policy-case-israel-2/ 

OGP, an organization which claims to uphold the values of transparency & accountability, did not issue a press release, blog about it, or share the news on social media or its monthly gazette. 

It’s unclear what the support that OGP’s CEO offers to Israeli civil society will look like.

To date, OGP has said and done nothing to support the efforts of US civil society after the Trump administration left in January. (New York City somehow continues to be a member after two years without any action.)

Thank to everyone who keeps working to holding governments around the world accountable, make public business transparent, defend civic spaces and whistleblower rights and press freedom. 

Your efforts matter more than ever, regardless of the state or future of a multi-stakeholder initiative unable or unwilling to be open and accountable for failures in impact or engagement.