Via YnetNews:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a letter of gratitude to the states that boycotted the UN anti-racism conference in Geneva this week. He also praised the countries whose representatives walked out during Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s speech.

The states that boycotted the conference, in addition to Israel, are the U.S., Germany, Italy, Holland, Poland, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

The states whose representatives walked out during Ahmadinejad’s speech are Austria, Ireland, Estonia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Hungary, Greece, Luxemburg, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovenia, Slovakia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Spain, Portugal, Finland, Czech Republic, France, Cyprus, Romania, and Sweden.

Hat tip Daily Alert.  Via VOA:

The U.S. announced Saturday it will not attend a UN conference on racism set to start Monday in Geneva. State Department Spokesman Robert Wood says the U.S. will boycott the conference “with regret” because of objectionable language in the meeting’s draft declaration.

The useless President Barack Hussein Obama said Sunday:

“I would love to be involved in a useful conference that addressed continuing issues of racism and discrimination around the globe,” but the inclusion of anti-Israel language in the draft final communique was “completely hypocritical and counterproductive.” “We expressed in the run-up to this conference our concerns that if you incorporated, if you adopted, all the language from 2001, that’s just not something we can sign up for,” he said.

See also Australia Joins UN Racism Conference Boycott (Reuters)
See also Netherlands Boycotts Racism Conference (Radio Netherlands)
See also Germany Joins Boycotters of UN Racism Meeting (AP)
See also Britain Facing International Isolation for Failing to Join Western

Read through this post to see how Muslims are licking their chops, waiting for Durban II to commence so that they can demonize Israel and pretend that their taqqiyas and burqas will shield them from the truth about their fraudulent unholy death god that they mistakenly pray to. And Hillel Neuer, you’re brilliant.  Via UN Watch:

UN Watch Blasts Sudan on ‘Racist Murder’, Iran on Persecuting Gays

YouTube video of debate now available: click here (3 mins.)

Summary of Recent Debate at U.N. Human Rights Council
on Durban Review Conference and Racism

UNHRC 10 Session, March 2009

Libya: “We are proud of chairing the preparatory working group. The scourge of racism and xenophobia had not been eliminated yet. Some were turning a blind eye to the worst kind of crimes that affected innocent women and children…  People of the world are eagerly awaiting the results of the Durban Review Conference. We call on all countries to show a sense of responsibility on constructively drafting an outcome document…”

Iran: “We welcome the ongoing process of the Durban Review Conference… The world today witnesses racism, defamation of religions, religious intolerance, racial profiling and the intellectual legitimisation of racism. This form of racism was disseminated in large proportion in the media, including the Internet. The failures in the struggle against racism, inter alia, the contemporary forms of racism had led to persisting manifestations of racism and intolerance including racial and religious profiling and the rise in Islamophobic incidents in the world. Iran had contributed $40,000 to the Durban Review Conference for facilitating the realization of a better participative conference by all stakeholders.”

Kuwait: “Kuwait will allocate $100,000, and agrees that efforts needed to be stepped up in order to achieve the objectives and to ensure the success of the final document.”

Cuba for Non-Aligned Movement: “The effective implementation of the Durban agreements was not only essential in the fight against racism; it was also a debt owed to millions of victims of these abominable practices through history.”

China: “The Durban Review Conference provided the international community with an opportunity for the future, to promote human rights, eliminate differences, promote solidarity, encourage effective participation, and take effective measures against racism.”

Syria: “The Durban Declaration was a landmark in the struggle against racism.. That was why Syria was convinced of the need for everyone to pull together for the follow-up. Foreign occupation seriously increased the risk of racism, said the report of the High Commissioner. As to racial profiling in the media, Syria supported the legitimate position of the Arab countries…”

Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference: “The Organization of the Islamic Conference attaches the highest importance to the subject of racism… The outcome of the Durban Review Conference must provide a comprehensive protection mechanism to all victims, including those who had suffered the war on terror in terms of racio-religious profiling and its concomitant incitement to racial or religious discrimination, hatred and violence. The Organization of the Islamic Conference welcomed the successful holding of the second session of the Ad Hoc Committee on Complementary Standards.” [Ed. note: This Algerian-chaired U.N. committee is seeking to rewrite international human rights law by definining any criticism of Islamic dogma as a human rights violation, and is endorsed by Art. 30 of the current Durban II draft; see UN Watch speech below.]

UN WATCH RESPONDS

The Myths of Durban II
Testimony by Hillel Neuer

Thank you, Mr. President.

Racism is evil. How can we truly fight it?

For starters, by clearing up three myths about next month’s conference.

Myth Number One: that the new draft removes all pernicious provisions.

The truth is that many were removed—thanks only to the credible threat of an E.U. walk-out—but red lines continue to be breached:

• Articles 10, 30 and 132 encourage the Islamic states’ campaign to ban any criticism of religion.
• Articles 60 to 62 demonize the West, addressing only its sins of slavery, yet saying nothing of the massive Arab trade in African slaves, thereby politicizing that which should never be politicized.
• Article 1 breaches President Obama’s red line by reaffirming what his government called the quote, “flawed 2001 Durban Declaration”, a text that stigmatized Israel with false accusations.

Myth Number Two: that going to the conference means dialogue.

In truth, we’ve been negotiating non-stop since August 2007. Going to the conference means endorsing a particular text, and risks legitimizing the greatest perpetrators of racism.

Ironically, many who now claim to support dialogue, are Mideast states belonging to the Arab Boycott Office in Damascus, or radical left campaigners who call for equally bigoted boycotts in the West.

Myth Number Three: that Durban 2 will help millions of victims.

But can anyone name a single victim of racism who was helped by the 2001 conference and countless follow-up committees?

Did Durban help a single victim of Sudan’s racist campaign of mass killing, rape and displacement against millions in Darfur?

Did it help the women of Saudi Arabia subjected to systematic discrimination?

Did it help gays executed by Iran, even as President Ahmadinejad says there are no gays in Iran?

Did it help the 2 million black African migrants in Libya, who, as we read in last week’s International Herald Tribune, say they are treated like slaves and animals?

To truly fight racism, we need to hold perpetrators to account. Tragically, Durban 2 does the opposite.

Thank you, Mr. President.

* * *

Click here for New York Times video documenting racist treatment of 2 million black African migrants by Libyan government of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, chair of Durban II conference planning committee.

To link to this briefing: http://www.unwatch.org/cms.asp?id=730172&campaign_id=63111

Via EyeOnTheUN:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Announces He Will Attend Durban II

EYEontheUN has learned that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has announced his intention to attend the Durban II “anti-racism” conference. Durban II is billed by the UN as an occasion to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. But Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust, has advocated genocide and openly seeks the annihilation of the state of Israel. In providing a hatemonger with a global platform – under the banner of an anti-racism conference – the United Nations has become an enabler of genocide.

Anne Bayefsky, Editor of EYEontheUN urged: “It is time for every decent self-respecting democratic state to withdraw immediately from Durban II – the platform for genocide.”

The Iranian President had every reason to expect a warm reception from the UN. The UN Human Rights Council elected Iran as a Vice-Chair of the Preparatory Committee of Durban II. Iran has been the single most active participant in this week’s preparatory sessions going on in Geneva. Iran has succeeded in denying a Jewish non-governmental organization accreditation to preparations for Durban II. At yesterday’s negotiating sessions for a final document to be adopted formally at Durban II, the Iranian representative proposed sweeping limitations on freedom of expression and protection for “cultural diversity” as a vehicle for justifying Iranian laws that permit the stoning of women, the murder of homosexuals, and the torture of dissidents.

When Ahmadinejad spoke to the UN General Assembly last September he said:

The dignity, integrity and rights of the European and American people are being played with by a small but deceitful number of people called Zionists. Although they are miniscule minority, they have been dominating an important portion of the financial and monetary centers as well as the political decision-making centers of some European countries and the U.S. in a deceitful, complex and furtive manner…This means that the great people of America and various nations of Europe need to obey the demands and wishes of a small number of acquisitive and invasive people…Today, the Zionist regime is on a definite slope to collapse, and there is no way for it to get out of the cesspool created by itself and its supporters.

Ahmadinejad’s hateful speech was greeted by applause from the assembled UN member states.

As Bayefsky points out, “it can be expected that Ahmadinejad will use the opportunity of the UN Durban II global megaphone to continue his genocidal campaign. After all, the current draft text of the Durban II final declaration continues to single out Israel and condemn it as racist by reaffirming the words of the 2001 Durban Declaration.”

Will the European Union, Australia, and the United States sit in their seats at Durban II and listen to the hatemongering and anticipated applause?

“Democratic states, having delayed a decision about participation until the final hour,” said Bayefsky, “have encouraged Ahmadinejad to believe he has one more opportunity to spread antisemitism and demonize the Jewish state. It is long past the deadline for democracies to pull the plug on Durban II and stop legitimizing a racist anti-racism conference.”

For a complete source of information on Durban II
see www.EYEontheUN.org/durban.

Principles come first, except in Islamism where principles are supplanted  by barbarism.  Via UNWatch.org:

UN Watch applauded Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen for announcing that this Monday he will call on European Union states to withdraw from the Durban II conference, or else withdraw unilaterally.

“The document is unacceptable,” said Foreign Minister Verhagen today at an appearance before the foreign affairs committee of the Dutch parliament, held in preparation of the upcoming meeting of E.U. foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.

“My red lines are: religion is misused to stand above individual rights. There should be no excuse in the text to condone violence against homosexuals, anti-Semitism and Israel-bashing,” said Verhagen.

“I am actively involved in the matter. There will be no compromises regarding principles. I am aiming for a joint withdrawal of all EU ministers, unless the document is not changed. If this does not succeed, then I am not afraid to unilaterally withdraw from Durban,” said Verhagen. “Principles come first.”

UN Watch obtained a translated transcript of his remarks from Dutch sources.

“As President Obama recently determined, the Durban II conference—where the world’s most intolerant regimes seek to indict the world’s most tolerant democracies—is only going from bad to worse,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based UN Watch, a non-governmental human right rights monitoring group.

“With Iran and Cuba on the planning committee, it’s no surprise that the conference is being used to legitimize human rights abusers, while ignoring millions of victims of racism and discrimination around the world,” said Neuer. “It’s tragic and inexcusable that the U.N. is squandering a golden opportunity to help victims, and is instead letting down the most vulnerable.”

“Blacks subjected to genocide in Darfur, women treated as chattel in Saudi Arabia, gays executed in Iran, Tibetans oppressed in China—none of these victims are mentioned anywhere in the proposed Durban II declaration. As a growing number of democracies now realize, the Libyan-chaired Durban II conference is essentially a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini announced last week that his country would no longer participate due to “aggressive and anti-Semitic statements” in the conference’s draft final document.

May Italy remain safe and protected in return for its righteousness.  Via AP:

Italy said Thursday it is pulling out of a UN conference on racism seen by many Western governments as marred by Muslim attempts to attack Israel and shield Islam from criticism.

Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Italy has withdrawn its delegation from the preparatory negotiations ahead of the so-called Durban II conference due to “aggressive and anti-Semitic statements” in the draft of the event’s final document.

But there’s a hitch. Via Washington Post:

The Obama administration said Friday that the U.S. will boycott an upcoming UN conference on racism unless its final document is changed to drop all references to Israel. The conference is a follow-up to the contentious 2001 meeting in the South African city of Durban. The U.S. and Israel walked out midway through that 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.

State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the closing statement under consideration mirrored the 2001 draft and was unacceptable. “As a result, the United States will not engage in further negotiations on this text, nor will we participate in a conference based on this text.” At the same time, he said the U.S. would participate as an observer in meetings of the UN Human Rights Council, a body that was shunned by the Bush administration for anti-Israel statements and failing to act on abuses in Sudan and other states.

Jews are entitled to self-determination, to live freely in their homeland.

Zionism is just as valid as Palestinianism. If Zionism is racism, then so is Palestinianism.

The fact is, it’s ethnocentric to claim that only a certain ethnic group has rights to own land, as is the claim made by the Arabs.

Why are Arabs the only ones entitled to self-determination?

A startling White House betrayal by a US president compelled by his own Muslim identity politics and an administration ready, willing, and able to lead Israel over the cliff.  h/t DailyAlert. Via NY Post:

Washington has joined in the UN’s preparations for its “Durban Review Conference.” That’s the follow-on to the infamous 2001 “Zionism is racism” conference in Durban, South Africa – which called Israel’s self-defense “a crime against humanity.” The U.S. delegation then rightly walked out in disgust. Like most sequels, Durban II promises to be worse than the original.

Well, the conference preliminaries are over – and they again accused Israel of apartheid and xenophobia. Plus, it seems that at Durban 2.0, criticism of Islam will be forbidden. America needs to follow the Canadians and Israelis – and boycott. Other Western democracies are looking to walk, but won’t as long as Washington stays in.

See also Conference of Presidents Confident in Obama Plans on Durban

The foreign policy umbrella for U.S. Jews expressed confidence in the Obama administration’s handling of Durban II. On Thursday, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations released a statement saying that it was reassured, “after a series of meetings with key administration officials,” that the Obama administration would make the right decision. “We believe that the administration is engaged in a serious process relative to the Durban conference with full recognition of the concerns of the community,” said the joint statement by Conference chairman Alan Solow and executive vice-chairman Malcolm Hoenlein.

Via Jewish Chronicle:

Britain and Italy could join Canada and Israel in refusing to attend the Durban II Review Conference in April unless they receive cast-iron guarantees that it will not turn into an anti-Semitic, anti-Israel arena of hate.

Britain’s Foreign Office Minister Lord Malloch-Brown said on Tuesday: “I was at the first conference. I have never seen such a disgraceful event in quite a long international life….We are not going to stand idly by and allow this racist stuff to get through and be seen as acceptable. We are not going to have it.”

On Monday, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said:

“We will not send an Italian delegation [if it is the same as Durban 2001], but we will try to harmonize our position with other countries who are the friends of Jews.”

Via WSJ:

The first “Durban” conference was named for the South African city where the UN held its 2001 World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance and was chiefly notable as a virulent display of anti-Semitism. Yet last weekend, the Administration announced it would participate in “conference preparations,” while reserving judgment on whether to attend the conference itself. Back in 2001, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell refused to appear at Durban for fear that it would turn into a carnival of hatred and grievance. That’s exactly what happened, prompting Powell to withdraw the U.S. delegation. As he put it at the time, “I know that you do not combat racism by suggesting that apartheid exists in Israel.”

The UN has been merrily planning the “Durban Review Conference” for April, whose purpose is to “reaffirm the Durban Declaration.” The preparatory committee is chaired by Libya. Vice chairs include Iran and Cuba. The conference is organized under the auspices of the UN Human Rights Council, which the previous U.S. Administration refused to join. In the latest draft of the so-called “Outcome Document,” Israel’s “racial policies” are a major theme. The draft also calls for “limitations on the exercise of the right to freedom of expression” in order to criminalize all criticism of Islam. There is also an effort to extract reparations for the long-banned trans-Atlantic slave trade: States that “have not yet condemned, apologized and paid reparations” for the trade are urged “to do so at the earliest.”