maybe the Afrikans will call out the arabs for their racist occupation of North Afrika...
last time they did this they bombed the wtc and blamed islam
Israel says will boycott U.N. forum on racism
1 hr 55 mins ago
Print Story: Israel says will boycott U.N. forum on racism - Yahoo! News
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Wednesday that Israel had made a final decision not to participate in a U.N. forum on racism and urged other countries to boycott what she termed an "anti-Israel tribunal."
The United Nations said it regretted the decision.
The World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, to be held in Geneva in April, is a follow-up to a 2001 summit in Durban, South Africa on the same issues.
Israel and the United States walked out of the first conference in protest over draft texts branding Israel as a racist and apartheid state -- language that was later dropped.
In a speech to visiting U.S. Jewish leaders, Livni said she announced last February that Israel would not participate in the 2009 meeting unless it was clear it would not be used "as a platform for further anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic" activity.
She said documents prepared for next year's forum showed it was "turning once again into an anti-Israeli tribunal, singling out and delegitimizing the State of Israel."
As a result, she said: "I decided that Israel will not participate and will not legitimize the Durban-2 conference."
"We call upon the international community not to participate in this conference, which seeks to legitimize hatred and extremism under the banner of the fight against racism," Livni added.
In August, officials from 21 African countries held talks ahead of the Geneva conference and adopted a text which recommended it discuss, among other issues, "the plight of the Palestinian people under foreign occupations."
Canada has said it will not take part in the Geneva meeting. The United States, Britain, the Netherlands and France have said they may stay away if Israel's relations with Palestinians stands to eclipse all else.
Some countries are also concerned that some Middle Eastern states will try to use the conference to push a declaration that could stifle free expression by labeling criticism of religions as defamatory.
The office of U.N. human rights commissioner Navi Pillay said it regretted Israel's decision.
"Given the critical importance of the issues under discussion at the conference, broad participation is essential," U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe said in New York, speaking for the Geneva-based office.
"These ... are issues which affect all countries and millions of individuals around the world on a daily basis."
(Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Additional reporting by Patrick Worsnip at the United Nations; editing by David Wiessler)
additional facts
World Conference against Racism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
The World Conference against Racism (WCAR) are international events organized by the UNESCO in order to struggle against racism ideologies and behaviours. Three conferences have been held so far, in 1978, 1983 and 2001. The next conference is planned for 2009.[1] Founded after World War II and the Holocaust as a dependent body of the United Nations, the UNESCO started as soon as its creation to promote scientific studies concerning ethnic groups and their diffusion in the public opinion in order to dispel pseudo-scientific rationalizations of racism. One of its first published work was The Race Question in 1950, signed by various internationally renowned scholars.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 1978 conference
* 2 1983 conference
* 3 2001 conference
* 4 2009 conference
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 External links
[edit] 1978 conference
International opposition
to Apartheid in South Africa
Campaigns
Academic boycott · Sporting boycott
Disinvestment ·Constructive engagement
Instruments and legislation
UN Resolution 1761 (1962)
Crime of Apartheid Convention (1973)
Gleneagles Agreement (1977)
Sullivan Principles (1977)
Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act (1986)
Organisations
Anti-Apartheid Movement
UN Special Committee against Apartheid
Artists United Against Apartheid
Halt All Racist Tours
Organisation of African Unity
Conferences
1964 Conference for Economic Sanctions
1978 World Conference against Racism
United Nations Security Council Resolutions
Resolution 181 · Resolution 191
Resolution 282 · Resolution 418
Resolution 435 · Resolution 591
Other aspects
Elimination of Racism Day
Biko (song) · Activists
Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute
Equity television programming ban
This box: view • talk • edit
Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (June 2008)
The 1978 World Conference against Racism was held in Geneva, Switzerland. A major focus on the conference was South Africa's apartheid policies of racial segregation and discrimination.
[edit] 1983 conference
Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (June 2008)
The 1983 World Conference against Racism was also held in Geneva, Switzerland
[edit] 2001 conference
Main article: World Conference against Racism 2001
The 2001 conference was held in Durban, South Africa, under UN auspices, from 31 August until 8 September 2001. Former Irish president Mary Robinson, then the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, presided as Secretary-General.
Entitled "World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance," the conference was discussing unfair treatment of one group against another. Much of the deliberations focused specifically on Israeli treatment of Palestinians, culminating in a call by some countries to reestablish the controversial UNGA 3379 resolution from 1975 equating Zionism with racism.[1][2] . Both Australia and Canada made statements accusing the conference of hypocrisy.
Both the United States and Israel pulled their delegations from the WCAR. The final text drops all direct criticism of Israel, but does recognise the Palestinians' right to self-determination and expresses concern at their plight 'under foreign occupation'.
Also in the conference, African countries - led by Nigeria and Zimbabwe - and African-American NGO's wanted individual apologies from each of the countries responsible for slavery, recognition of it as a crime against humanity and reparations called as such. The Europeans pulled together behind the UK and the best the Africans could get was a call for support for the New African Initiative, debt relief, funds to combat AIDS, the recovery of stolen government funds transferred to the West by former dictators and their cohorts, and an end to the trafficking in people. But the word 'reparations' did not survive. [3]
[edit] 2009 conference
The 2009 World Conference Against Racism will be held in Geneva, Switzerland. Criticism of the Conference has already started due in large part to countries such as Iran and Libya being named to the Conference planning committee. Canada has announced that it will not participate in the Conference because it believes the Conference will actually promote racism and intolerance. Israel followed Canada's lead by announcing it will not participate in the conference unless it is proven that the conference will not be used as a platform for further anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic behavior. [2] [3][4]