New York, NY, February 27, 2009 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today praised the Obama Administration for withdrawing from the U.N. Durban Review Conference preparations in Geneva.

After pressing governments in Geneva to remove the inappropriate branding of Israel as a perpetrator of racism, the U.S. concluded that the direction of the conference could not be reversed and that further negotiations would not lead to an outcome document that would meet U.S. policy requirements.

Glen S. Lewy, ADL National Chair and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director issued the following statement:

We applaud the administration for refusing to participate in a process that would in any way brand Israel as a racist country.  The campaign to label Israel's policies toward Palestinians as racist serves, in effect, to revive the infamous allegation that Zionism is a form of racism.

 

This swift and clear-eyed decision demonstrates that the U.S. government speaks with a consistent moral voice against the singling out of Israel for condemnation in the United Nations, and is determined to engage in a fight against racism that is free from the politicization and hatred that has plagued the Durban Review Conference process.

 

The Durban Review Conference has itself been tainted by the very bigotry and vitriol that it was meant to counter.  We look forward to working with President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton on meaningful and credible efforts to mobilize international action against the rise of hate violence, racism and discrimination worldwide.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.