United Nations: Discrimination - Criticism of Israel and Religions Dropped from Racism Conference Agenda

by Ruth Levush
Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor
March 19, 2009

https://www.legal-project.org/214/united-nations-discrimination-criticism-of-israel

Excerpt:

A draft resolution for the upcoming Durban Review Conference, organized by the United Nations, has reportedly been changed to drop criticism of Israel and not to include references to "defamation of religion." According to U.N. officials, the resolution now speaks only of concern about the negative stereotyping of religions and does not single out Israel for criticism. The conference is scheduled for April 20-24, 2009, at the U.N. headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (Criticism of Israel Dropped from Durban II Draft Resolution, HAARETZ.COM, Mar. 17, 2009, available at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1071735.html; Durban Review Conference, Geneva 2009, United Nations website, http://www.un.org/durbanreview2009/ (last visited Mar. 17, 2009).)

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Western countries threatened to or stated that they would boycott the 2009 conference because its draft resolution again singled out Israel for criticism and called for limiting freedom of expression as it relates to criticism of religion, an issue reflecting the heightened emotions expressed in particular after the publication of editorial cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in the Danish newspaper JYLLANDS-POSTEN in 2005. The Dutch Foreign Minister, Maxime Verhagen, was quoted as stating, "a draft backed by the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference 'limits itself to Israel-bashing, anti-Semitism, limiting freedom of speech and other dubious texts.'

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