Disinformation Campaign Attempts to Discredit UN Anti-Racism Conference

Interview with Cecile Surasky, communications director with Jewish Voice for Peace, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

A United Nations conference on racism in Geneva was convened in late April to review progress since the original U.N. sponsored-Conference on Racism and other forms of discrimination was held in Durban, South Africa in September 2001. The U.S. and a handful of other nations boycotted this year's conference, claiming that its agenda was to bash Israel. That decision was based on the 2001 conference document, in which the Israel/Palestine conflict was the only international dispute mentioned by name, even though it was framed in an impartial way. At the earlier conference, a number of Arab nations had attempted to define Zionism as racism.

A controversial speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad given at this year's anti-racism gathering, was widely interpreted as anti-Semitic, playing right into the hands of those who charged that the conference had an anti-Israel bias. Despite the boycott and international press attention on Ahmadinejad's speech, conference delegates adopted a resolution against racism, which covered issues such as xenophobia and intolerance.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Cecilie Surasky, communications director with the American organization Jewish Voice for Peace, who attended the Geneva conference. She said that even though Israel and others boycotted the conference, its many supporters were there in force. And Surasky noted that many either ignored legitimate Palestinian claims of discrimination or demonized the United Nations, Muslims and Palestinians.

Contact Jewish Voice for Peace at (510) 465-1777 or visit their website at jewishvoiceforpeace.org

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