Monday, April 28, 2008
Durban II Double Standard   Anne Bayefsky
Durban II Double Standard Discussions of anti-Semitism are silenced, while Iran's benevolence remains unquestioned.

The first week of preparations for the U.N.'s racist anti-racism bash, the "Durban Review Conference" (also known as Durban II) has drawn to a close. It now looks like the latest U.N. effort at painting Israel and America as the enemies of human rights - with Iran, Libya, Algeria, and Syria on the side of the angels - won't be held in Durban, after all. On the list of prospective sites is New York: Apparently, considerations of the number of Jews in the neighborhood may be outweighed by the U.N. dollars that would pour in if it was held on U.N. premises. U.N. premises in places with fewer Jews, like Geneva and Vienna, are also in the running.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Redefining Anti-Semitism   Anne Bayefsky
Redefining Anti-Semitism At Durban II, only anti-Muslim racism counts.

Geneva - Tuesday was Day 2 of the United Nations hatefest known as the "first substantive session of the Durban Review Preparatory Committee," now taking place in Geneva. Delegates rolled up their sleeves, and the Jewish and Western-bashing exercise entered a new phase.

The Egyptian representative gave a good summary of most everything wrong with Durban II. He claimed the conference and its preparatory process should focus on criminalizing "racial profiling," "racism in the media," "the challenges posed by Islamophobia since the events on 9/11," and "instrumentalization of democratic processes for racist applications." In short, racism is an evil Western plot to victimize Muslims, who can only be protected by the undermining of democracy, freedom, and law enforcement.

The Ambassador of Sri Lanka was more philosophical. In his words, "the relationship between racial discrimination and freedom of expression is a complex and dialectical one; more freedom of expression is not an antidote to racial discrimination."