AJC Denounces Durban II Declaration that Singles Out Israel, Threatens Free Speech
April 21, 2009 – Geneva – AJC [American Jewish Committee] denounced today’s adoption by the Durban Review Conference of an outcome document that singles out Israel and endangers freedom of speech.
“Today, once again, the UN has chosen the unfair treatment of Israel over the real fight for equality and human rights,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris, who is attending the conference along with a group of 25 young AJC activists. “And this document also threatens democratic values with a vague effort to criminalize incitement. The United States, Israel and eight other democracies were absolutely right to stay away from this conference and not endorse the document.”
The document approved today “reaffirms the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA), as it was adopted” at Durban in 2001. The DDPA wrongly categorized the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as racial, and described Palestinians as victims of Israeli “racism.” Israel was the only country specifically criticized in the entire document.
This year’s document also mandates that “any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.” This effort to criminalize certain types of speech is troubling in light of repeated efforts by Muslim countries to effectively wall off Islam from criticism by classifying any criticism as “incitement.”
AJC had encouraged nations of good will to withdraw from the conference once it became abundantly clear that it might well undermine democratic values and the struggle for racial equality – two causes to which AJC has been steadfastly committed for over a century.
AJC is online at www.ajc.org
