Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., March 02, 2009 Adar 6, 5769 | | Israel Time: 21:05 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Joy of Giving Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 19:04 01/03/2009
Largest U.S. Jewish body urges EU to take Obama's lead, skip Durban
By Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: durban II, israel news 

The biggest Jewish body in the United States on Sunday lauded the decision of the Obama administration not to participate in a United Nations anti-racism summit which it fears will be used as a forum to criticize Israel.

Alan Solow, Chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman, of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said they greatly appreciate the decision of the Obama administration not to participate and urged the European Union to follow its lead.

"
Advertisement
It was clear from the preparatory meetings that this conference was again being hijacked by those who want to have a repetition of the first Durban conference, which focused almost singularly on Israel and was the occasion for vile and bigoted declarations and manifestations," Solow and Hoenlein said.

"We had extensive discussions with the Obama administration, particularly over the last days, and it became clear that the assessment of the U.S. delegation that attended the February preparatory meetings in Geneva recognized where the conference was headed and the need for the United States to take a stand at this time," they said.

The Durban Review Conference is a follow-up to the contentious 2001 conference which was dominated by clashes over the Middle East and the legacy of slavery. The U.S. and Israel walked out midway through that eight-day meeting over a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and likened Zionism - the movement to establish and maintain a Jewish state - to racism.

Urging European countries to follow the U.S. lead and boycott the conference, Solow and Heinlein said "the absence of these important democratic countries sends a clear message to those who seek to politicize the conference and turn it into a propaganda platform. The blueprint for much of what we have witnessed in recent years was put forward at the Durban conference, including the attempts to delegitimize and demonize Israel.
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
Spying for Hezbollah
Israeli Arab is suspected of planning to spy on Israel for the terror group.
Iran and the bomb
There are conflicting reports on whether Tehran has enough material for nukes.
  1.   Durban 19:28  |  JAMES 01/03/09
  2.   Not so 19:47  |  Average Joe 01/03/09
  3.   very disappointing 20:16  |  peter 01/03/09
  4.   To JAMES (#1). What truth? 20:24  |  flyingdoc57 01/03/09
  5.   James 20:37  |  utagawa 01/03/09
  6.   Durban 20:43  |  Johnathan 01/03/09
  7.   Durban Summit 20:50  |  Joan 01/03/09
  8.   Durban 2 Ship Of Fools Feast Menu - Stay Away! 20:57  |  Lavi 01/03/09
  9.   James of Ireland....to participate in a racist conference 21:32  |  Lynn 01/03/09
  10.   Let Durban Go! It might open the eyes of those who hate the Jews. 21:38  |  Akram Zekaria 01/03/09
  11.   Did someone miss the news? 22:33  |  MichaelF 01/03/09
  12.   #1 - James 22:34  |  MichaelF 01/03/09
  13.   Boycott Host Nation 01:56  |  Baruch Gold 02/03/09
  14.   #11 MichaelF No you missed the point 11:11  |  Ari ben Yisrael 02/03/09
 Haaretz Hot Topics
Israel 2009 election results: Voter breakdown
Israel goes to the polls
Conflict in Gaza
Israel vs. Hamas
Iran: Nuclear and regional ambitions
More Headlines
18:55 Comptroller: No protection from ongoing Gaza rockets or potential chemical attack
17:43 ANALYSIS / Another harsh report shows little has changed for Gaza border residents
19:17 Durban 2 draft statement: Israel's Palestinian policy is crime against humanity
20:27 Sources: Hariri murder tribunal could derail Israel-Syria talks
19:52 International donors pledge $5.2 billion for Gaza reconstruction
16:44 Israel dismisses Tehran demand to arrest Israeli 'war criminals'
15:59 Hillary Clinton, Gaza, and the six-state solution
15:15 Barak: As it seems now, Labor won't join Likud government
18:11 Israel demolishes two Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem
12:52 Peace Now: Israel planning 73,300 new homes in West Bank
11:05 Yemeni court fines man $250,000 for fatal shooting of local Jew
12:25 EU agency: Most European states fail to track anti-Semitism
12:27 Top Sephardi rabbi rules women may chant Scroll of Esther for men
Previous Editions
Special Offers
Advertisement
Spring Specials-Dan Hotels
Jerusalem from 179$. Tel-Aviv from 223$. Herzliya from 336$
Dead Sea Skin Care
Quality cosmetics from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 12% off!
Summer in Israel
Israeli style - Tzofim Chetz V'Keshet 2009
Passover Vacations
The BEST Passover Vacations around ? Mexico, Arizona and Florida
Camp Kimama Israel 2009
The best place for your children this summer
Eldan Rent a Car
Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations
Jewish Singles Personal Ads
Find the love of your life on JDate.com
Junkyard
Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | | Israel 2009 election results
Site rules | Makom: Engaging on Israel | Search engine marketing
Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved