The
effects of the conflict in Israel can be felt as
far as Geneva. During the final days of the last
prepcon there for the UNHRC conference against
racism, the subject of Israeli racism against the
Palestinians remains the most contentious point
of the text to be considered in South Africa at
the end of the month.
The
Arab countries are insisting on a text that addresses
what they allege is Israeli racism toward the Palestinians,
without which, they say, the conference minimalizes
the Palestinians' suffering. On Thursday, the first
Arab suicide bomber in over two months killed an estimated
17 people in Jerusalem and wounded about 130 others
at a crowded restaurant.
Both Israel and the
United States are threatening
to boycott the conference
unless language equating
Zionism with racism is
removed from the document
that will be considered
in Durban, South Africa.
As time dwindles, negotiators
from over 100 countries
seem unable to come to
a resolution. Some Arab
nations, like Algeria
have proposed postponing
any further talks, but
the Americans have refused
to leave the matter to
negotiation at the Durban
conference that will
begin on August 31st
and continue through
September 9th.
"It doesn't seem
the parties have come
together in any significant
way," the Israeli
representative, Yaakov
Levy, told The New York
Times, describing the
heated effort to narrow
the differences as "a
two-hour exercise in
exchanging accusations."
The European Union is
also pushing for removal
of any references to
the Middle East. The
conference, organized
by the UNHCR, will address
global issues of racism,
xenophobia, intolerance
and discrimination.
Another sticking point
for the American delegation--the
African nations' demand
for compensation for
colonization and slavery--is
reportedly closer to
being resolved. Although
no announcement has been
made yet, negotiators
have indicated that they
are close to an agreement
on the language to be
considered in Durban.
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