Senators Seek Boycott of U.N. Event 
By DEVLIN BARRETT 
DECEMBER 17, 2010
WSJ
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703395204576023981934007162.html

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is pressing the Obama administration to boycott a United Nations forum in New York next year that has been widely criticized as a platform for anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli rhetoric. More than a dozen Senators have signed on to her effort, saying it's offensive to hold such an event in the city shortly after the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Seventeen other senators, including seven Republicans, are backing Sen. Gillibrand's call for the State Department to decide quickly not to take part in the Durban III World Conference Against Racism on Sept. 21, 2011. Critics of the conference say from its first incarnation in 2001, its purpose has been twisted into a megaphone for discriminatory rhetoric against Israel.
The last such conference was held in Geneva in 2009. Days before, the U.S. decided to boycott the event based on similar concerns. That forum sparked an international incident when anti-Israeli remarks by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prompted the walkout of European ministers. Mr. Ahmadinejad called Israel the most cruel and racist regime.''
This time, Canada has already decided to boycott the gathering, and Ms. Gillibrand and the other lawmakers are encouraging the U.S. and other nations to do the same.
It is an insult to America that the United Nations has decided to hold the Durban III conference in New York City just days from the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks,'' Ms. Gillibrand said. We all witnessed how extreme anti-Semitic and anti-American voices took over Durban I and Durban II and we should expect the same thing to happen with Durban III.''
The disagreements about the conference are part of a bigger, longer fight within the United Nations over Israel. Many countries in the Middle East and Africa are highly critical of Israel, charging the government's treatment of Palestinians is racist. 
In a letter sent Thursday to Susan Rice, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, the senators urge the government to take a stand against an event that undermines the very goal of fighting discrimination with a demonstration of anti-Semitism.'' 
Other senators joining the push include Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.), Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.) and Joe Lieberman (I., Conn.)
A State Department spokesman, P.J. Crowley, said, Historically, the conferences against racism have not been constructive. Rather, they have been a counterproductive platform for theater and distraction. We seek a meeting that is actually focused on combating and eliminating racism and racial discrimination. If the meeting were to be constructive and appropriate, the United States could consider supporting that effort. But our concerns based on past outcomes remain.