From August 31-September 8,2001 in Durban, South Africa, the United Nations convened the World Conference Against Racism. As with all things at the UN, the conference ultimately had its focus on delegitimizing Israel and renewing the motto for Israel that “Zionism is Racism.”
For that reason, when the conference refused to change their aims at the urging of the United States, Secretary of State Colin Powell ordered that the United States delegation withdraw from the conference. He said in part, “Today I have instructed our representatives at the World Conference Against Racism to return home. I have taken this decision with regret, because of the importance of the international fight against racism and the contribution that the Conference could have made to it…I know you do not combat racism that produce declarations containing hateful language, or supports the idea that we make too much of the Holocaust, or suggests that apartheid exists in Israel, or that singles out one country in the world-Israel-for censure and abuse.” The Israeli delegation also withdrew from the Conference.
Now the United Nations wants to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the conference, voting 167 to 2 in passing the $3.2 billion budget, which would include funding the anniversary event. Israel and the United States were the only dissenters, including President Trump’s opposition to the budget, which he expressed last Thursday. The United States is the largest funder of the United Nations.
Ambassador Kelly Craft clearly stated the United States opposition to the event, “Twenty years on, there remains nothing about the Durban Declaration to celebrate or endorse it. It is poisoned by anti-Semitism and anti- Israel bias.”
Israel’s UN Ambassador, Gilad Erdan, agreed. “The conference will become another meeting demonizing the Jewish state-It will be used once again to slander us and to launch false accusations against Jewish self-determination.”
A new year, but the same old United Nations. It seems that some things never change, but this should and must change.
(Source: The Times of Israel)
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