50th Meeting of the 3rd Committee of the UN General Assembly – November 22, 2011
Explanation of Vote by Ms. Noa Furman, Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations
Draft Resolution (A/C.3/66/L.68/Rev.1): ‘Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance: Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action’


Mr. Chairman,
The Jewish people know the evils of racism all too well. In light of my people’s unique history in the face of racism and anti-Semitism and its horrible ramifications, Israel has always been a strong advocate in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
Ten years ago, Israel joined other countries from around the world that were gathering in Durban with high expectations for cooperation against the plague of racism. We hoped, as did many others, that the urgent need to tackle the spread of racism will unite us and will enable us to adopt a universal plan to fight racism in every corner of the world. 
Mr. Chairman, 
I wish that the Durban conference in 2001 had not been hijacked by a small group of states, whose sole purpose in coming to Durban was to demonize Israel. 
I wish that the majority of states, who were sincere in their desire to fight racism, had spoken up and rejected the attempt to politicize the Durban conference.
I wish that Israel could have stayed in Durban and had not been compelled to withdraw from the conference in 2001. 
But sadly, Mr. Chairman, the Durban conference was hijacked by states that wanted to attack Israel more than they wanted to fight racism. 
And sadly again, the majority of states remained silent while the conference, entrusted with the mission of countering racism, became a vehicle for just the opposite; a vehicle for advancing hatred, anti-Semitism, intolerance and prejudice against the state of Israel. 
Faced with unabashed hatred and hostility displayed in the conference hall of the World Conference against Racism and on the streets of Durban, Israel had no choice but to withdraw from the Durban conference in 2001. It was for these reasons that we also did not partake in the 2009 Review Conference and the 2011 High Level Meeting to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action.

Mr. Chairman,
We recognize the efforts of South Africa and Argentina and the open and transparent manner in which they conducted the informals on draft resolution L.68. We also recognize that the resolution contains some elements that would have been positive in their own right.
Unfortunately, the Durban conference still remains at the core of this resolution, and the DDPA that was adopted a decade ago is contaminated with political paragraphs that should NOT have been there in the first place. Hence, Israel cannot join consensus on this resolution.
We will only be able to do so if the resolution clearly contains a call for States to implement only the universal global issues that are in the DDPA, dropping the political paragraphs that compelled us to leave the process in the first place. 

Mr. Chairman,
The Jewish people have fought against racism throughout history and Israel remains committed to this goal. 
I regret that ten years after the Durban conference, Member States have not found the political will to rectify the inherent wrongs of the Durban conference and the DDPA.
For these reasons Israel is calling for a vote and will vote against the resolution.
Thank you.