Vitriol May Follow Israel to Geneva

By Michael Jordon
August 13, 2008
Israel Hasbara Committee
Original Source: – HYPERLINK https://mail.hudsonny.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.infoisrael.net/cgi-local/text.pl?source=4/b/vi/130820081 \t _blank http://www.infoisrael.net/cgi-local/text.pl?source=4/b/vi/130820081


[ANTISEMITISM] In this JTA article, Michael Jordon discusses the potential repeat of the anti-Israel and antisemitic atmosphere, which dominated the 2001 UN World Conference Against Racism that was held in Durban. 

He relates recent statements by two non-government organizations (NGOs) about their intent to identify Israel as an imperial, ethnic-cleansing, apartheid state during next year’s UN World Conference that will be held in Geneva to support his concern that there would be a repeat of the anti-Israel extravaganza that took place in Durban seven years ago. According to Jordon, in 2001, the anti-Israel NGOs rabid activism prevented constructive discussion of other more pressing and genuine cases of global racism. 

Jordon states that in reaction to the problems at the 2001 Durban Conference, the UN is trying to develop a conference agenda that would prevent a repeat of the 2001 fiasco. He states that these efforts include elimination of an NGO forum, the de-authorization of grants funded by several philanthropic organizations and a proactive publicity campaign to secure the assistance of UN members to reign in their country’s participants. In addition, Jordon states that several countries have indicated they may boycott the conference as well as withhold financial support for it.

However, despite efforts to prevent a repeat of the Durban fiasco, Michael Jordon’s article presents a picture that this endeavor is disorganized and therefore likely to be ineffective. He states that more time was devoted to denying a Canadian Jewish group accreditation to participate in next year’s conference than to granting accreditation to another anti-Israel NGO at the planning meeting recently held in Brazil. He referred to a statement by a spokesman for the Wiesenthal Center who attended the Brazil meeting that a pro-Palestinian activist alleged Jewish control of the boycott movement and attacked him for stopping the funding of the NGOs that enabled them to attend the Racism Conference and stopping the NGO Forum.

Jordon conveys the feeling that Durban 2001 is likely to be repeated next year and that the Jews and Israel are in a lose-lose position; they would either be held responsible for stopping another antisemitic attack or they would be the victims of another antisemitic attack at a conference failing to deal with the world’s racism.

The IHC recommends that you read this article in full.