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Protesters outside the Durban anti-racism conference in 2001. (AP)
Last update - 16:36 04/04/2008
Israel, U.S. to coordinate on boycott of Durban II conference
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: UN, Durban II, Israel, U.S.

Israel and the U.S. decided a few weeks ago to boycott the Durban II conference scheduled for early 2009 and likely to harshly criticize Israel's human rights record unless they receive firm guarantees that the event will not turn into anti-Israel festival.

According to a senior government official, the joint decision was made after discussions among senior U.S. State Department and local Foreign Ministry officials, and after being raised in talks between Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Israel and the U.S. decided to make their participation in the conference conditional on guarantees the event would not become a rerun of the previous United Nations rights conference in Durban in 2001.
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"The burden of proof will be on the UN and the organizers," a Jerusalem source stated.

The September 2001 conference in Durban, South Africa had been slated to deal with racism and xenophobia, sponsored by South Africa, the UN Human Rights Commission and the UN non-aligned states a body dominated by Arab states.

The conference was attended by official government delegations, as well as non-government organizations who dictated a hard anti-Israel and anti-Semitic line.

The attacks on Israel included accusations of apartheid, that Zionism is racism, and that the Holocaust is not a unique event but similar to other events in history.

Delegates also said Israel was "born in sin," the result of ethnic cleansing of Arabs and that in the present, it is committing genocide against Palestinians.

U.S. and Israel's representatives walked out of the conference in protest at these attacks.

Israel and world Jewish organizations have begun a campaign against the upcoming conference, although it still has no final date or location. In February, the Foreign Ministry held its first coordinating meeting and another will be held next month in Geneva, under the auspices of the UN Watch monitoring group, and will discuss strategies to prevent anti-Semitism and attacks on Israel at the follow-up conference.

So far, Canada has announced plans to boycott the conference and Israel is trying to convince other countries to make their participation conditional on preventing a similar agenda.

Jerusalem estimates that conference organizers will try to blur the real agenda until the last minute to draw in as many UN members as possible. "We are concerned this time too there will be criticism and an anti-Semitic attack," a Foreign Ministry official said. "What can you expect from a conference whose organizers include Cuba, Iran and North Korea."

On Wednesday, many major U.S. newspapers ran an advertisement signed by 25 public figures including former politicians, religious leaders and intellectuals, calling on the government to boycott the conference. Signatories included Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, former CIA chief James Woolsey and law professor Alan Dershowitz. The signatories called on Rice to announce a boycott of the conference, denouncing it as a platform for anti-Semitism "slated to encourage hatred of Israel and the U.S."

The U.S. decision to boycott the conference came in coordination with Israel. The two countries agreed to publish a joint statement similar to Livni's recent announcement that Israel plans to boycott the conference as long as it serves as a platform for anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment.

A Jerusalem official expressed regret that there appears to be no change in the conference's agenda. "Israel is sorry that the UN secretary general and the UN Human Rights Commission are not doing enough to change the content despite their dissatisfaction.

"This is another example of how a UN-sponsored conference to fight racism and xenophobia is about to become an arena for extreme political Israel-bashing, while ignoring areas in the world where racism, religious persecution and intolerance of foreigners, are rampant."

Israel plans to continue combating the planned conference content together with Jewish groups and the U.S. and Canadian governments.


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      1.   Boycott is not the answer! 03:58  |  Mohammed Choudhury 04/04/08
      2.   I don`t mind balanced criticism 04:54  |  Judith 04/04/08
      3.   Durban is a pro-racist, not anti-racist conference 04:57  |  Conroy 04/04/08
      4.   It`s TURBANT, not Durban. 05:12  |  Fortuna Benmayor 04/04/08
      5.   Wait, Israel is protesting condemnation of Jewish racism?? 05:17  |  Alchemy 04/04/08
      6.   organize an alternative conference? 05:35  |  DrO 04/04/08
      7.   Two countries with Racism problems boycott racism conf 05:38  |  POP 04/04/08
      8.   US and Israeli Presence at Dirbom is Not Important 05:46  |  Johan Odin 04/04/08
      9.   What d they have to fear? Exposing their double standard? 06:01  |  American 04/04/08
      10.   ANOTHER UN body hijacked by the Moslem Mafia in the UN 06:01  |  PETER SM 04/04/08
      11.   Let the American people engage and decide .Not spoon fed. 06:03  |  American 04/04/08
      12.   Ridiculous Exercise 06:04  |  Steve 04/04/08
      13.   conroy your such liar i was there none of that happen 06:05  |  reza SHAH 04/04/08
      14.   Yes.Arab terrorism and it`s root cause are the table. 06:08  |  American Truth 04/04/08
      15.   Another Waste of US Taxpayers Money 06:08  |  Tom 04/04/08
      16.   No Alchemy, Israel is protesting racist terrorists 06:19  |  Dan 04/04/08
      17.   boycott of UN anti-racism conference 06:20  |  geoff 04/04/08
      18.   A very good decision!!! Now, it is time that in addition to 06:31  |  Albert 04/04/08
      19.   POP ALL the "non-racist human-rights champions" will be there 06:36  |  PETER SM 04/04/08
      20.   Mohammed Choudhury # 1 06:39  |  Philippe 04/04/08
      21.   Durban II Participants Would Disband To The Last Hypocrite If ... 06:43  |  Lavi 04/04/08
      22.   The god of truth 07:01  |  roger wallace 04/04/08
      23.   AMERICAN truth.Who kills the most Arabs?Whats your excuse? 07:04  |  PETER SM 04/04/08
      24.   Johan Odin, with you hate and racism you will be welcome their 07:07  |  Dan 04/04/08
      25.   Two racist countries! 07:16  |  Niva dos santos 04/04/08
      26.   Reza SHAH # 13 _ You Either Were Not There Or 07:17  |  Eli 04/04/08
      27.   African american is not so race-bound 07:27  |  Di 04/04/08
      28.   Islamic racism against Christians in Palestine? 08:16  |  Joe Sittizen 04/04/08
      29.   Anti-Semitism 08:22  |  Jean Van Daem 04/04/08
      30.   Poor beautiful Durban to be contaminated by all those haters 08:33  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 04/04/08
      31.   Excellent combination! 09:11  |  Dutch Dirk 04/04/08
      32.   Grubby, dirt encrusted tail wags big dozy dog 09:27  |  Clickfool 04/04/08
      33.   Why deny the truth? 09:40  |  Abu Firas Al Qudsi 04/04/08
      34.   Johan Odin 8 09:51  |  ChanahS 04/04/08
      35.   to 13 09:54  |  Harry 04/04/08
      36.   Who are semites 09:55  |  Morris 04/04/08
      37.   THE PROBLEM WITH THE UN 10:00  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 04/04/08
      38.   DO THE AMERICANS REALLY KNOW 10:01  |  indrajaya 04/04/08
      39.   *28 Sittizen spin 10:08  |  Abu Firas Al Qudsi 04/04/08
      40.   Are the United States still an INDEPENDENT country....???? 10:10  |  Swiss (Dino) 04/04/08
      41.   # 30 Margie "Poor, beautiful Durban" 10:15  |  Swiss (Dino) 04/04/08
      42.   For Cipora # 37 10:18  |  Clickfool 04/04/08
      43.   Rather a nice fit for Israel 10:25  |  Natallie Durson 04/04/08
      44.   AN ODD COUPLE 10:47  |  indrajaya 04/04/08
      45.   @25, niva dos santos, you represent 10:48  |  vladimir 04/04/08
      46.   #34 Chanah, Are You Willing to Ride on The Back of The Bus? 10:54  |  Johan Odin 04/04/08
      47.   Morris - Who is an (anti-) semite 11:01  |  Michael Jacobs 04/04/08
      48.   Clickfool 11:12  |  Sarah 04/04/08
      49.   Wrong Track 11:13  |  William 04/04/08
      50.   Whats the big deal these r true statements: Zionism is racism.... 11:16  |  Tupac 04/04/08
      51.   You can tell us all about it Dino 11:17  |  MaryRose 04/04/08
      52.   Unable to get it`s message out 11:25  |  Gilad 04/04/08
      53.   Odin 46 11:27  |  ChanahS 04/04/08
      54.   Swiss 41 11:30  |  ChanahS 04/04/08
      55.   #46 Johan Odin 11:33  |  Sarah 04/04/08
      56.   Racism? 11:34  |  bibliovitz 04/04/08
      57.   #38, Indrajaya... 11:46  |  Silvienne 04/04/08
      58.   michael jacobs 11:46  |  bibliovitz 04/04/08
      59.   The Agenda? 11:50  |  MaryRose 04/04/08
      60.   one day, ChanahS 11:53  |  bibliovitz 04/04/08
      61.   #53 Channah - Think Before You Post 12:19  |  Johan Odin 04/04/08
      62.   Israel NEVER racist against Arabs! 12:28  |  Israeli 04/04/08
      63.   For Sarah # 48 12:36  |  Clickfool 04/04/08
      64.   #28 - Islamic racism against Christians in Palestine? 12:44  |  Mohammed Choudhury 04/04/08
      65.   bibliovitz - Sinister ploys 12:56  |  Michael Jacobs 04/04/08
      66.   #63 Clickfool 12:58  |  Sarah 04/04/08
      67.   # 51 MaryRose, actually the answer here is a very easy one....... 12:59  |  Swiss (Dino) 04/04/08
      68.   To #28 Joe Sittizen 13:03  |  An Arab Christian 04/04/08
      69.   # 54 Chanah S 13:13  |  Swiss (Dino) 04/04/08
      70.   And what Dershowitz is