Durban II drafts: Israel is racist, occupying state
By Shlomo Shamir
February 21, 2009
Haaretz
Original Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1065845.html


Draft resolutions for the United Nations Durban II summit on racism brand Israel as an occupying state that carries out racist policies, Haaretz has learned.

The resolutions appear to confirm concerns that the second World Conference Against Racism will be used by Arab nations and others to criticize Israel. Despite those concerns, the United States said last week it would participate in planning the summit.

United Nations sources relayed on Friday that the resolutions, which will be voted upon at the summit, were formulated at a planning session held by a number of nations in Geneva last week.

They refer to the plight of Palestinian refugees and other inhabitants of the Arab occupied territories, apparently meaning Israel itself.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that under debate at the session was whether to include a line that the Holocaust resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people.

Israel and a number of other countries have already decided to boycott the summit, which is set to be held in Geneva, Switzerland in April.

In a statement released last week, the State Department said the U.S. delegation to the planning discussions would review current direction of conference preparations and whether U.S. participation in the conference itself is warranted. 

This will be the first opportunity the [Obama] administration has had to engage in the negotiations for the Durban Review, and - in line with our commitment to diplomacy - the U.S. has decided to send a delegation to engage in the negotiations on the text of the conference document, the department said.