Israel to skip 2011 Durban commemoration so long as it’s linked to Durban

Israel’s response to UN resolution on “Combating racism and follow-up of the Durban Programme of Action”
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem, December 24th, 2010

The UN General Assembly has adopted on December 24th a resolution on “Combating racism and follow-up of the Durban Programme of Action”.

Israel is part of the international struggle against racism. The Jewish people was itself a victim of racism throughout history.

Israel regrets that a resolution on an important subject – elimination of racism – has been diverted and politicized by the automatic majority at the UN, by linking it to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (2001) that many states would prefer to forget.

The Durban Conference of 2001, with its antisemitic undertones and displays of hatred for Israel and the Jewish World, left us with scars that will not heal quickly.

In the coming months, Israel will follow closely the preparations for the upcoming September 2011 meeting. Israel expects the participants to deal appropriately with the serious manifestations of racism throughout the world, and to reject attempts to once again divert world attention from this dangerous phenomenon by means of cheap politicization.

Under the present circumstances, as long as the meeting is defined as part of the infamous “Durban process”, Israel will not participate in the meeting scheduled to take place in UN Headquarters in New York in September 2011.

UN Watch