"Israel has suspended cooperation with UNESCO," Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told parliament, according to a statement from his office.
He said that relations with UNESCO would not be restored until it retracted its statement last week that two ancient biblical sites – the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb – were an integral part of the “occupied” Palestinian territories.
"The UNESCO decision was made by the automatic Arab majority and was another attempt to delegitimize Israel instigated by the Palestinian Authority," the statement said.
"Decisions like these push peace further away and harm the reputation of UNESCO, which has become a rubber stamp for the Palestinian Authority."
On Tuesday Ayalon accused the Palestinian Authority of replacing violence with a political campaign to delegitimize Israel in the eyes of the international community.
In recent months, Palestinians have increasingly spoken of bypassing Israel and turning to the international community through the United Nations to seek formal recognition of a state along the pre-1967 borders.