Scholars for Peace in the Middle East was a cosponsor of the DURBAN II COUNTER-CONFERENCE addressing the issues of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Genocide, Xenophobia, Gender Discrimination and Religious Discrimination held at Fordham University Law School under the auspices of the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists and other organizations.
SPME representatives included Ken Marcus SPME Legal Task Force Chair; Andrew Apostolou, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies; and Samuel Edelman, SPME Executive Director.
The events concluded with an address by SPME contributor, the Honorable Irwin Cottler of Canada. The following is a summary of the events of the five day conference by Ellen Sloame Fawer, Jewish Women International with emendations from Sam Edelman.
MONDAY CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
!. Malcolm Hoenlein, Exec Director of COP
Geneva has become a “hall of shame”. Most participants are leading violators of human rights.
2. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney
A champion of women’s’ issues. Durban I witnessed the worst anti-Semitism since the Holocaust – and at a U.N. sponsored conference on racism! Instead of learning from history, Durban II denies it.
3. Ambassador Richard Schifter, former U.S. representative to the U.N. Human Rights Commission
In Geneva, the anti-Israel rhetoric of Durban I was reaffirmed. Israel is the “canary in the coal mine”. We are all in danger.
Until 1970, the Soviet bloc was outvoted by others. Then, Castro built a network of countries that would work against the U.S., linking up with the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic States. In 1973, the Burundi initiative brought sub Saharan African states against Israel to the U.N. China have become increasingly powerful in the antidemocratic movement. Paradoxically, China has a pro Jewish culture.
(For the Ambassador’s complete speech, see Jewish Week)
4. Hon. Jerry Grafstein, Canada Senate
Silence is not an option. It translates into acquiescence at the U.N.
5. Eric Fusfield, B’nai B’rith International
There has been a distinct rise in anti Semitism in Europe during the past 8 years.
a. increasingly radicalized Muslim and Arab community that has easy access to Arabic stations for propaganda, as well as increase in sales of Mein Kampf and Protocols of Elders of Zion
b. political gains of the far right
c. traditional anti Semitic culture
d. anti- Israel political left. Israelis are portrayed as overly aggressive. In the immediate post WW2 era, sentiment worked in Israel’s favor – no more.
e. generational shift. Holocaust is merely an “historical anecdote”.
The main center of gravity is in the Muslim world. They believe that Zionism is more egregious than Nazism, yet they claim that A-S does not exist there.
TUESDAY GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE and POLITICAL ARENA
Panelists:
1. Shifra Bronznick
We have not closed the gap yet. Issues – parental leave, job shares, flex time
2. Dr. Sharon Rabin-Margialoth, Professor of Labor and Employment Discrimination Law, Herzliya Center
In Israel, there is a disparity in pay of women and men. Yet, often women did not negotiate after the starting offer and men did. In U.S. 1963, Equal Pay Act – need to demonstrate that they are doing the same work.
3. Marie Wilson, The White House Project
How many women participate in public life? What do they bring to the project? What keeps women out of leadership? The perception of “woman” and “leader” has not always meshed. There remains ambivalence. Generally, women are in charge of household and child-rearing. It should be equal.
4. Phyllis Chesler, Professor of Psychology and Women’s’ Studies CUNY, author
a. Israel is not an apartheid state, but Islam is the largest perpetrator of religious and gender apartheid. Historically, Muslim countries have persecuted non Muslims – Christians, Baha’is, etc who live in terror in Muslim countries that are now almost Juden- free. In Israel there are many skin colors and religions, absorbed at great expense there.
b. Muslim countries are inherently misogynistic. Dr. Chesler lived in Afghanistan for a time. In Kabul, before the Taliban, before the Soviet invasion – women didn’t socialize with men outside the family. When women in Islam countries protest, they are arrested, tortured, accused of a capital crime – then often stoned to death, beheaded, blinded by acid attacks, even for just going to school. Women are gang raped and lashed in Saudi Arabia, Algeria. Muslim women are routinely beaten at home.
America and Israel are more democratic and compassionate than any other countries. Yet, western apologists in the press say that barbaric practices have nothing to do with Islam. They are more comfortable criticizing Christians and Jews than Islam.
c. Honor killings: How is it different from western style domestic violence? Honor killings are committed by Muslims against girls, by a father against a young daughter – DV against an adult female partner. HK are planned by a family – DV is unplanned and spontaneous, done alone and the family is not part of an active conspiracy.
Action – we need to work with Muslim feminists, some of whom are secular; we need to prosecute; we need to start funding shelters The Saudi lobby is much stronger than the Israeli lobby. Their money is paying for madrassas, suicide bombers, education in the U.S.
WEDNESDAY RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE and DISCRIMINATION
1. Michael Salberg, ADL “The rising threat of anti-Semitism worldwide”
Recalled Durban I when Israel was equated with South African apartheid, which the High Commissioner of Human Rights, Mary Robinson ignored, the total absence of support.
Problems now – Meerrscheimer and Walt, Jimmy Carter, rise of the position that A-S is related to the Middle East conflict, Gaza escalated repugnant expressions of A-S, political use of state-sponsored A-S writ large in Venezuela by Hugo Chavez which led to a synagogue being vandalized. Durban II is illegitimate in its inception and execution. We need to educate our own community. There are generations who don’t have a sense of the danger.
2. Kenneth Marcus, “Anti-Semitism on the Campus”
Universities should be centers of tolerance, but are the sites of some of the worst expressions of A-S. Blood libels and other accusations are issued under the guise of opposition to Israel but are often really aimed at “Jewish” students. There have been numerous disturbing incidents across the United States since 2001, including particularly significant incidents at the University of California at Irvine, Columbia and San Francisco State. This semester, the problem has been particularly severe at several North American universities. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights annou nced a new policy to address this problem in 2004, but it has not appropriately addressed the policy over the last few years.
3. Samuel Edelman, Ph.D, executive director, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East “Durban I has set the agenda for Anti-Israel, Anti-Semitic activities on college campuses.
Prior to Durban I A-S was primarily a right-wing situation. After, it was another world – like Germany in the 1920s and 1930s when college professors started it. Israel has been called a racist country and a lie repeated over and over becomes truth. Although “Zionism =Racism” was withdrawn in the 1990s, its legacy continues. “Israel is racist” – is easy to grasp and=2 0that is where propaganda begins.
Impact was first on European campuses, then Canada and Latin America. Ford Foundation and Saudis supported Durban I. NGOs had the largest impact on campuses “Apartheid Israel” was the most important piece of propaganda that came out of Durban I.
Impact on Durban II attempt to get the International Court to take on Israel. Conclusion – we did not respond effectively to Durban I.
4. Ali Alyami, Ph.D, Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia. “Religious intolerance and human rights violations in Saudi Arabia”
America is the last hope for humanity, but we are a target. Saudis support A-S. Wahabiism is the biggest threat to democracy, Jews, and Muslim women. It has no civil society, no human rights. Women cannot deliver babies without a man’s permission; they cannot drive. There are no elections, no free press, no freedom of worship, although they are forced to pray 5 times a day. There is no rule of law- only sharia, no free flow of information. How can the U.S. have SA as an ally? They are enemies of democracies.
Israel should reach out to Arab moderates and intellectuals.
5. Andrew Apostolou, Freedom House “Discrimination against religious minorities in Iran and Iraq” Outlined all of the violations of human rights against religious and cultural minorities in Iran which have been ignored by the UN at Durban II.
THURSDAY RACISM and GENOCIDE
Dr. David Luchins, Touro College “The origin of, and the successful struggle to repeal “Zionism = Racism”
1975 – We ignored the warning signs, Moynihan was told that it was much ado about nothing, He and Chaim Herzog pleaded with the Jewish community and were told it did not matter. 1991 – Moynihan said that “Israel was chosen as a metaphor for western civilization; that those who could not defeat her on the battlefield chose to delegitimize her”. The effort to repeal Z=R says more about the U.S. than about the U.N. Supporters included Gerald Ford, Hubert Humphrey, George Schultz, Jeane Kirkpatrick.
Most of the world holds U.N. in higher regard than we do. In most of the third world, there is a shared struggle against colonialism and racism. – Which is what the world thinks of Israel.
Rabbi Richard Jacobs, Westchester Reform Temple, American Jewish World Service
Genocides – Rwanda – 100 days in 1994 800,000 Tutsis murdered in the fastest, most efficient killing spree.
Cambodia – 1970s – over 2 million murdered.
Bosnia – 200,000 Muslims killed or tortured in concentration camps
Darfur – people who share a religion, a culture, a country. How did it get to this? Not just guns and machetes are killing, also lack of food and water. What can we do? Educate, donate, advocate, instigate, divest. U.S. has now sent a special envoy. Amb. Susan Rice is a strong advocate for military action there. 2008, International Criminal Court issued a warrant for arrest of Pres. Al-Bashir’s arrest. He then expelled humanitarian aid groups, yet the Arab League welcomed him as a brother!
FRIDAY “A LOOK AT DURBAN II and FREEDOM of SPEECH”
Daniel Carmon, Deputy Ambassador of Israel to U.N.
Israel/U.N. relations. Many countries are good bilateral friends of Israel, but in the U.N. they have conflicting interests. Ahmadinijad should be a wake-up call for all democracies.
Irwin Coltler, Former Minister of Justice in Canada
We need to struggle against all injustices. we knew what was happening in Rwanda, but didn’t act.
4 generic themes need to be affirmed.
1. Danger of state sanctioned genocide, a culture of hate. Remember that the Holocaust began with words.
2. Danger of indifference and inaction. those who are indifferent are on the side of the perpetrators.
3. Danger of immunity
4. U.N. is supposed to be for human rights, yet 26 of 36 resolutions singled out Israel. There were none against Iraq, Sudan, China, etc.
The road to Durban I was viewed with great anticipation. It was supposed to be against racism, but it turned against Israel, a festival of hate.
1. Government forum- scurrilous document which described Israel as apartheid.
2. NGO forum became the centerpiece of a culture of hate.
3. Public square – 100s marched, calling for the dismantling of Israel.
The road to Durban II
1. Governmental level – even more reprehensible
2. NGOs marginalized. Survivors voices were heard, but there were calls for boycotts, divestments, sanctions against Israel.
3. Yom Hashoah became an antidote to racism. There were 3000 at a remembrance ceremony and their voices resonated.
There was an iconic image when many countries walked out when Ahmadinejad started his diatribe. Ahmad – a man who incites hatred, who denies the Holocaust – should be a welcome guest who opened the ceremony – is shocking. Actually his speech was modest by comparison with what he has been saying for years. The responsibility to prevent genocide and incitement is a legal obligation.
The closing rally saw a sea of Israel flags – and flags for Israel, human rights and peace.
Charles Small, Ph.D, Yale Initiative for Interdisciplinary Study of Anti-Semitism”
Assault on world Jewry by Islamicism, not Islam which contributed to humanity, science and culture.
Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah – are honest and clear about their intentions. An unholy alliance gaining strength.
Michael Meyers, NY Civil Rights Coalition
Mainstream black leaders became marginalized by “black power” and Black militants.
Please go to website www.jewishlawyers.com for complete coverage of the week’s events. AAJLJ and 33 sponsors.
