GOP Jewish group blasts U.S. role in lead up to Durban II

The Obama administration has already drawn fire from a number of U.S. Jews for its intention to try to influence the agenda of the United Nation's second World Conference Against Racism, also known as Durban II.

The Republican Jewish Coalition announced its strong opposition to U.S. participation in the preparatory Durban Review Conference, and issued a national action alert to its members, calling on them to contact the White House and their representatives in the House and Senate to demand an immediate withdrawal.

RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks called the White House's decision to send a U.S. delegation to the planning sessions for Durban II "an extremely disturbing change in American foreign policy regarding Israel".

"Like the original Durban conference in 2001, the upcoming conference is based on a document which is specifically anti-Israel," he said. "In speaking about racism, xenophobia, and discrimination, the 'Durban Declaration and Program of Action' which lays the framework for Durban II, names only Israel as an offender against human rights."

"The preparatory committee for Durban II is being chaired by Libya, with Iran and Cuba as vice-chairs," he added. "Durban II is based on a document that falsely targets the democratic State of Israel without mentioning real instances of human rights abuses in the dictatorships of Asia, Africa or the Middle East. It is not possible for U.S. participation in this conference to mitigate the anti-Israel hatred the conference is designed to produce. So far, the U.S. delegation to the planning sessions has remained silent while additional anti-Israel language was added to the conference document."

"When the Palestinian delegation offered language that called for international protection of the Palestinian people (ostensibly against Israeli racism) and for implementation - as an international legal obligation - of the biased and ungrounded advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice against Israel's security fence, the U.S. delegation reportedly raised no objection, allowing the language to go through to the final conference without debate," he said.

"The U.S. showed moral clarity and stood by our ally Israel by boycotting the 2001 conference when it became clear that Durban I had degenerated into a hate-fest against Israel, Jews, and the West. This second conference will be no different. Britain, Italy and other countries are watching closely how the U.S. responds. The United States should join Israel and Canada in refusing to participate in the Durban II conference this coming April," he concluded.