Israel's Foreign Ministry is rejecting the latest draft of the 'Durban II' anti-racism conference outcome statement, 'Ha'aretz' reports. While all direct references to Israel and the Israel-Palestinian conflict have been removed - in an attempt to keep the European Union from boycotting the UN anti-racism conference next month in Geneva – the draft still implicitly singles out Israel. "The first clause in the new document reaffirms the declaration of 'Durban I,' which calls Israel a racist state, and the change is cosmetic only. The essence remains the same," a Foreign Ministry official told the newspaper. "This is a diplomatic ruse intended to blur matters and introduce criticism of Israel by the back door."
The previous version of the "Durban II" closing statement led the United States, Canada and Italy to announce they would be boycotting the conference. Other EU countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand, also threatened to boycott. The edited version was drafted by a committee headed by a Russian diplomat, with the goal of preventing a boycott.
See the WJC feature on the Durban Review Conference
