Durban II: Pro-Israel Group Trots Out Anti-Libyan Palestinian

Published April 20, 2009 @ 04:24AM PT

Israel and the United States are among the countries boycotting the UN conference against racism, known as Durban II. Palestinian Israeli parliamentarians were present:

Balad chairman MK Jamal Zahalka, who will attend Durban II, addressed the crowd at the NGO Civil Society Forum March in Geneva on Sunday, presenting himself as a Palestinian victim of "Israeli racist apartheid" and concluding his speech by proclaiming: "No peace without justice."

Opposition to the proceedings in Geneva (site of Durban II) is based on three things. First, that it is run by third world countries with poor track records on human rights and ethnic prejudice; second, that the Issue of Palestinian will be raised in a way that is disporportionate when compared to other issues in the world today; and third that the focus on Palestine includes antisemitic attacks on Jews, the state of Israel, and the right of Israeli Jews to enjoy the right of self determination.

The problem with Durban II is it shows the ability of dozens of countries and their diplomatic officials, under the auspices of the United Nations, to make a superficial claim that they are moving to rid the world of racial prejudice, by way of smearing Israel and discrediting the ideology that says that Jews have the right to self-determination.

I think Israel should be taken to task for the racism in that country, and practiced by that country. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy it when other offenders are taken to task. Israel Matzav is vibrating with glee at this little setup: A Palestinian who was tortured and falsely imprisoned in Libya for nearly a decade is somehow given permission to speak by the Libyan Ambassador. He promptly accuses Libya of scapegoating foreigners (as in his case) leading to his own inestimable suffering.

Pretty good prank - if that's the right term for such a serious issue.

(The Dry Bones strip at the top does NOT reflect my own thoughts. It does a good job of reflecting mainstream Israeli opinion.)

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I have a question for the poster: Should the white South Africans have exercised their right of "self-determination" and kept hold onto the government through force when that issue came to a head in the early '90's in South Africa? Should the caucasions of the USA have exercised a claim of "self-determination" and denied democracy to all others? Claims of the right of "self-determination" ring hollow when they come at the EXPENSE of other groups present.

Posted by Jeff Hunziker on 05/16/2009 @ 12:07AM PT
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Charles is a nonprofit professional with 20 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations in Israel, Palestine and the U.S. For the past few years, he's been specializing in online organizing.