Israel, Jewish groups hail U.S. boycott of Durban 2 summit

The Israeli government joined American Jewish organizations in praising the Obama administration for its plan to boycott an anti-racism conference scheduled for April unless the final document is changed to drop all references to Israel and the defamation of religion, a senior U.S. official said Friday.

The conference is a follow-up to the contentious 2001 conference in the South African city of Durban 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.

"Durban 2 is a cynical conference that is entirely anti-Semitic and anti-Israel under the guise of combatting racism," Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said. "The U.S. government's decision is a genuine, courageous expression of its values as the leader of the free world and this decision needs to point the way for those other countries that share those same values."

"We know full well, to our sorrow, towards what direction the conference is going and so we are satisfied with the U.S. government's decision not to take part in it," a diplomatic source in Israel said.

"The event, which has again proven to be a celebration of racism and vile anti-Semitic activity, is further evidence of the UN's inability to demonstrate any semblance of fairness or objectivity on these issues when it comes to the Jewish State," the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC said in a statement.

"President Obama's decision not to send U.S. representation to the April event is the right thing to do and underscores America's unstinting commitment to combating intolerance and racism in all its forms and in all settings."

"As feared, it has become increasingly clear that the only purpose of the Durban conference is to condemn the State of Israel for its very existence," said William C. Daroff, vice president for public policy and director of United Jewish Communities' Washington office.

"President Obama is absolutely correct in refusing to participate in this sham. Israel is one of our nation's closest allies and we commend the President for recognizing the need to remove America's name from these efforts to soil the name of Israel and Jews across the globe. We are hopeful that other countries will follow our lead by refusing to give credibility to this shameful fear mongering and anti-Semitic effort."

Rabbi David Saperstein, an official from the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism said the government was correct in "try[ing] and prevent[ing] the Durban II conference from being hijacked by those with an anti-Semitic and anti-Israel agenda."

"While there was disagreement in the Jewish community as to whether such efforts would have been better served by the administration's engagement in or disengagement from the process, the fact that the administration made the effort to play a constructive role dramatizes to the world both our seriousness about tackling the scourge of racism and the tenacity of those forces committed to hijacking the conference in pursuit of their anti-Semitic or anti-Israel agenda."

"The conference preparations have made it clear that Durban II will again almost certainly tainted by anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism," Saperstein said. "We hope that at some point in the near future, a serious international effort will be made to address the plight of those who suffer discrimination."