Posted on 02/28/2009 8:10:38 PM PST by PRePublic
United States Pulls Out of Durban II
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
(IsraelNN.com) The Obama administration announced Friday that it is boycotting the Durban II conference on racism unless there are significant changes to what the State Department called “unsalvageable” anti-Israeli resolutions.
The decision by the State Department pleased Kadima leader and acting Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Knesset Member Silvan Shalom, Livni's predecessor, who said it is "a sign for the entire world.” Livni stated that the policy move "must lead the way for more countries that share the same values” to boycott the convention, scheduled for April. Canada already has said it will not participate.
Israel has been concerned by the new American government’s change in policy to participate in preliminary committee meetings for the convention, which is to be held in Geneva but bears the name of the South African city where the first meeting was held in 2001. The United States walked out of it because of harsh anti-Israeli resolutions.
The proposed motions for the April meeting single out Israel for its presence in Judea and Samaria and include a Palestinian Authority proposal for “international protection of the Palestinian people throughout the occupied Palestinian territory” effectively claiming that Arabs are victims of alleged Israeli racism and that the U.N. should protect them.
The Durban planning committee, chaired by Libya, also rejected a European Union (EU) condemnation of Holocaust denial.
The State Department announcement came after growing domestic protests of the Obama administration’s participation in the planning committee. It would reconsider its boycott if the conference drops its reference to any specific country, which so far names Israel but no other nation, and if it does not affirm the 2001 Durban resolutions that singled out Israel.
"Unfortunately, the document being negotiated has gone from bad to worse," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said. "As a result, the United States will not participate in the forthcoming negotiations on this text, nor will we be able to participate in a conference that is based on this text."
The Anti-Defamation League and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations praised the American government for backing out of the conference.
Quite a spiritual journey for Obama, now seeming to figure out that attending a conference of hate and racism might not be such a good idea after after all.
Let us give credit where credit is due:
This is a case of Hillary putting her foot down. If it were up to Obama, they would have attended. Fortunately for him, Hillary and Bill have a tad more understanding of the importance of the Jewish vote.
Best,
Chris
I hope there is no unless because we should have no part in these hatefests staged by the Arabs and others. I'd been afraid the new administration might participate in this charade.
Durban I was “World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance”
It’s not the first time that the Muslim terrorist nations try to say that “Zionism” (a “national homeland for the Jews”) is *racism*. The Muslim terrorist nations tried to jam that idea (Zionism = racism) down the throats of other nations at the U.N. That was finally overturned.
Now, they’re at it again. They also refuse to *discredit* the idea that the Holocaust never happened — which happens to be a “popular theme” with the Muslim terrorist nations.
It’s time to stop the racism, terrorism, repression of religion and “world-takeover” notions of the Muslim terrorist nations...
Yes, the UN is Islamic occupied terrirory UNrabia."
Talk about scoring cheap points. We should never have been within smelling distance of that gang of cut-throats to begin with.
If it's unsalvageable, why demand changes in the first place?
That's like demanding a mechanic fix "like new" the car that just came out of a crusher...
The Obama Administration Double-Deals On Israel
forbes | 3/2/09 | Anne Bayefsky
Posted on 03/01/2009 10:24:49 PM PST by Nachum
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2197088/posts
The forked US tongue on ‘Durban 2’ (Obama selling out Israel behind our backs)
UK Spectator | March 02 2009 | Melanie Phillips
Posted on 03/02/2009 2:03:08 PM PST by knighthawk
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2197567/posts
They probably had to wait so long to praise this Administration on anything that they couldn't control themselves.
One has to consider the possibility that Foxman’s ADL exists in order to bring about *more* defamation.
At least he got this one right after making a fool of himself with his “let’s talk to everyone” mantra. He’s doing worse domesticly.
If you'd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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I assume you mean Obama. Well, I'm reluctant to give him credit yet. The pullout is tentative, so let's wait and see.
You might want to check out the two links at post #11 by SunkenCiv.
Perhaps this is the step back after two forward.
Took him long enough.
Obama doesn’t want to pull out at all. The only reason he is pulling out is because of the force of public opinion. Otherwise, he’d have U.S. attendance. He wants to be a player against “racism”, which, of course, he thinks the U.S. is a part of also. And believe me, deep down inside, this man Obama believes that Israel is as much to blame as the Pali’s in the Mid East. So, his hand was forced here, or otherwise the U.S. would be attending this racist conference against alleged racism. And by the way, what is happening in the Middle East has absolutely nothing to do with racism in any shape or form. But the Muzzies love to play the victim, so they will make up a racism argument where none exists. Both the Israeli’s and the Pali’s are Indo-Europeans, Semites in general, and only the total misuse of the term racism could apply in the Mid East conflict. Which is what the Muzzies do, misuse the application of the word racism.
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