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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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