Israel Matzav

Who should be next to withdraw from Durban III?

Who should be the next countries to withdraw from the racist Durban III conference? Anne Bayefsky hints that France and New Zealand ought to be next.

Leading the charge in the negotiations was Benin who spoke for the approximately 130 states belonging to the “Group of 77,” the developing bloc of nations that include 56 Islamic states. From the western side, playing ball by UN rules favoring the non-democratic majority, are Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, and Ireland.

Two states objected to the idea of “reaffirming” the Durban Declaration – France and New Zealand. But it remains to be seen if they were merely posturing or they really intend to pull out of a summit specifically designed to “commemorate” an event unworthy of anything but the dustbin of history. No negotiations at this point are going to avoid that inevitable conclusion.

Furthermore, the text is littered with poison pills, neutral only on the surface – such as emphasizing four times in a page and a half the “victims of racism” – which the Durban Declaration describes as Palestinians “suffering” from Israeli racism. There are also numerous attempts to sideline the 1965 racism treaty, which emphasizes the voluntary assumption of duties by states.

The stakes are especially high because, as Argentina said in defense of this “celebration,” the final declaration will be a presidential statement that will be made by heads of state and government. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation – the prime movers behind Durban III – may succeed in building a majority of states prepared to celebrate modern anti-semitism and dress it up as human rights.

Now here's a thought. The 'Palestinians' claim to have 140 countries ready to sign up for the unilateral declaration of independence (UDI). What if 130 of them sign on to Durban III? What does that tell us? It tells us that the issue is not the 'occupation' but the existence of a Jewish state, and that there is no compromise Israel can make that will make the world accept it. Some people here still need to hear that. So do a lot of people in Washington and New York.

By the way, I'm not holding by breath waiting for France or New Zealand to do the right thing.

Labels: Durban III, Unilateral declaration of independence (UDI)

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:28 PM