Durban II drafts: Israel is racist, occupying
state
By Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent
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.