(Ynet News) Yitzhak Benhorin - The Durban III conference against racism opened Thursday at UN headquarters in New York, marking the 10th anniversary of the first gathering in Durban, South Africa. As in previous years, Israel, the U.S. and 11 Western countries (Canada, Holland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Bulgaria, Britain, France and Poland) did not take part in the conference in protest of its focus on Israel instead of on other global hotspots where racism is present. The participants at the conference voted on a political statement affirming the declarations of the original Durban forum, in which Palestinians were labeled as "victims of racism." To coincide with Durban III, several groups staged counter events. The Hudson Institute held a gathering near the UN building, titled, "The Perils of Global Intolerance: The United Nations and Durban III."
2011-09-23 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive