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Pro-Palestinian protestors marching through Durban during a UN conference on racism in 2001. (AP)
Last update - 08:30 25/02/2008
Israel to boycott UN conference on human rights and racism
By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: UN, Durban, Israel 

Israel will boycott the United Nations "Durban II" conference on human rights, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni announced Sunday in Jerusalem at the annual meeting of the Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism.

The decision followed an assessment by the Foreign Ministry, and other Western governments, that it will be impossible to prevent the conference from turning into a festival of anti-Israeli attacks.

South Africa hosted the first Durban conference in the summer of 2001 under the auspices of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. It was titled "The World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance," but most of the discussions revolved around Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.
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The United States and Israel responded by lowering the level of their diplomatic representation and eventually quit the conference, which culminated in a resolution equating Zionism and racism.

That conference also provided a framework for a global convention of non-governmental organizations, which became a platform for delegitimizing Israel.

For the past few months, a coalition of Israeli and global Jewish organizations, together with government representatives, tried to prepare a joint policy for the follow-up conference, which is scheduled to take place in early 2009 at a still undecided venue. Among other things, there were talks with the foreign ministries of other countries and pressure on NGOs to guarantee that no anti-Semitic resolutions would be passed.

However, it became clear there is little chance of effecting a change, among other reasons because the UN Human Rights Commission is chaired by Libya.

Livni said Sunday that Israel had intended to try and influence the discussion "from within," by taking an active role in international forums "and cooperating with those leaders and countries that don't have a hidden agenda, and who truly want to promote human rights. But that policy is sometimes misinterpreted, and there are mistakes one must not repeat. Therefore I wish to make clear that Israel will not participate and will not grant legitimacy to the UN conference on racism unless there is proof that the conference will not become a platform for more anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic activity."

Livni called on the international community to boycott the conference, or else risk "legitimizing hatred, extremism and anti-Semitism under the guise of combating racism."

Related articles:
  • Senator: U.S. to boycott UN anti-racism meet due to anti-Israel agenda
  • Israel, U.S. leave Durban; Peres dubs meet a `farce'
  • Canada to skip UN racism conference due to expected 'anti-Semitism'
  • Haaretz Special: UN Conference Against Racism in Durban

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      1.   ISRAEL IS SMART 03:21  |  TOBIA 25/02/08
      2.   Uh? 03:29  |  jjvanka 25/02/08
      3.   Zionists Telling Everybody What to Do! 03:38  |  Dovy 25/02/08
      4.   What is Israeli government afraid of? 03:39  |  Steven Grumman 25/02/08
      5.   Anti-Semitic hatefest 03:51  |  Conroy 25/02/08
      6.   Anti-Semitism labels are Hate Crimes that must be punished 03:56  |  Assad-u-LLAH 25/02/08
      7.   "anti semitism".such expired pathetic excuse 04:36  |  raw truth 25/02/08
      8.   racism 04:44  |  Bruce 25/02/08
      9.   lets see what eu countries are ethical and morally honest or just 04:56  |  ralph 25/02/08
      10.   UN Human Rights Commission is chaired by Libya Should we say more 05:07  |  Dan 25/02/08
      11.   As Usual 05:42  |  Rasmuncher 25/02/08
      12.   Zionism is Racism 05:48  |  Becky 25/02/08
      13.   raw truth, looooooove your irony 05:54  |  Dan 25/02/08
      14.   UN - Human Rights Farce 06:00  |  Rightster 25/02/08
      15.   #3 Dovy 06:00  |  geoff 25/02/08
      16.   Zyclon B Party Favors 06:05  |  Rightster 25/02/08
      17.   Wrong wording 06:06  |  Frank 25/02/08
      18.   Assad Ullah 06:56  |  Danite 25/02/08
      19.   This conference is not how terrible Israel is, it`s how perfect.. 06:58  |  Conroy 25/02/08
      20.   The truth hurts, doesn`t it? 07:07  |  peacelover 25/02/08
      21.   Jews are not the only victoms of hate 07:11  |  Tupac 25/02/08
      22.   Becky *is* a racist 07:22  |  Joe Sittizen 25/02/08
      23.   So Durban is not anti-semitic? Let`s look at the last conference 07:33  |  Conroy 25/02/08
      24.   there is no such thing as anti-semetism 07:44  |  Assad-u-LLAH 25/02/08
      25.   while giving us her best impression of a joo danite acuses me of 08:00  |  Assad-u-LLAH 25/02/08
      26.   #12 08:37  |  James 25/02/08
      27.   Hooray Israel! Kol Hakavod 08:57  |  Judith, haifa 25/02/08
      28.   Pariahs Deserve To be Treated As Pariahs 09:03  |  chet 25/02/08
      29.   #25, try to grow up 09:05  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 25/02/08
      30.   it`s a shame when a conference against racism... 09:25  |  scallywag 25/02/08
      31.   the UN is a joke and these conferences are a farce 09:34  |  don 25/02/08
      32.   PEACE LOVER. YOUR " Truth" just wrecks the conference 09:47  |  PETER SM 25/02/08
      33.   HAHA. WOW. 09:52  |  Ofir 25/02/08
      34.   The diverse faces of monstruosity 10:19  |  Ulf 25/02/08
      35.   Human Rights 10:45  |  English Resident 25/02/08
      36.   CHET "Pariahs" Hamas the elected govt.of Palestine! 10:49  |  PETER SM 25/02/08
      37.   #35 are you kidding english resident 11:16  |  v hardman 25/02/08
      38.   Of course it will. Israel is a racist regime. 11:32  |  Stephen Murray 25/02/08
      39.   -U-LLAH. Arab.Arab Antisemitism is the racist lies&incitement 11:48  |  PETER SM 25/02/08
      40.   anti-semite labels diminished in meaning through misuse 11:58  |  Lataan 25/02/08
      41.   safe and predictable 12:07  |  Peder 25/02/08
      42.   Anti-Semitism. 12:09  |  Jean Van Daem 25/02/08
      43.   becky 12:12  |  scallywag 25/02/08
      44.   assad-u-llah on antisemitism 12:14  |  scallywag 25/02/08
      45.   Prejudice, discrimination and human misery in South Africa 12:17  |  Albert Edelson 25/02/08
      46.   #12 Zionism is racism 12:34  |  Boycott 25/02/08
      47.   peder 12:54  |  scallywag 25/02/08
      48.   UN IS A BAD JOKE 13:01  |  petra 25/02/08
      49.   3# 3 YOU`RE A RED NECKED JEW HATER 13:03  |  petra 25/02/08
      50.   HQS FOR IGNORANCE, THE UN 13:09  |  petra 25/02/08
      51.   Hey Tupac 13:16  |  Michael Freedman 25/02/08
      52.   Dovy # 3 13:46  |  ChanahS 25/02/08
      53.   #39, PETER SM - Only Facts Matter 13:51  |  Anton 25/02/08
      54.   Look who`s hosting a bash Israel fest 13:51  |  ChanahS 25/02/08
      55.   DURBAN, O, DURBAN 13:57  |  indrajaya 25/02/08
      56.   BOYCOTT.Zionism is -- glib& wrong.Even the UN disagrees with you. 14:13  |  PETER SM 25/02/08
      57.   ANTON Lack of fatalilities is not the same as lack of trying 14:20  |  PETER SM 25/02/08
      58.   INDRAJAYA."DURBAN O DURBAN" WHERE ISLAMOFASCISTS RUN AMOK. 14:33  |  PETER SM 25/02/08
      59.   #57, PETER SM - More Facts 14:50  |  Anton 25/02/08
      60.   ANTON False facts.Arab 1948 war of extermination was to take ALL 15:14  |  PETER SM 25/02/08
      61.   The worst racism: LEGAL "honour-killings" in Moslem countries! 15:42  |  AliciaYasmeen 25/02/08
      62.   59. michal 16:50  |  triska 25/02/08
      63.   World tax dollars to support hatred & ignorance 17:55  |  Edward H 25/02/08
      64.   Rape Israel Now !!! 18:28  |  James Michael Price 25/02/08
      65.   51. michael. 21:36  |  triska 25/02/08
      66.   "Honour killings" are human rights-violation TOO! 22:09  |  AliciaYasmeen 25/02/08
      67.   Hey Michael Freedman 08:31  |  Mark 27/03/08
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