Jewish leaders on Wednesday praised the Biden administration for announcing that the United States will not participate in upcoming events commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action.
On Wednesday, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations chair Dianne Lob, CEO William Daroff and vice chair Malcolm Hoenlein issued a joint statement in support of the administration’s decision.
The event is scheduled to be held on Sept. 22 and be called Durban IV.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post about the decision on Monday.
“The United States stands with Israel and has always shared its concerns over the Durban process’s anti-Israel sentiment, used as a forum for anti-Semitism and freedom of expression issues,” the spokesperson told the Post.
B’nai B’rith International said it “salutes the U.S. administration for taking a principled decision, like its predecessors, to deny legitimacy to a U.N. framework that purports to fight prejudice but is fundamentally marred by it. The 2001 conference was poisoned by manifestations of virulent anti-Zionism and open anti-Semitism. We urge all countries of goodwill to do similarly—and we will continue to insist that all forms of hate, including those targeting Jews, not be given a platform by foremost international institutions.”
Avi Mayer, managing director of global communications at the American Jewish Committee, also praised the decision, tweeting: “Kudos for rejecting hate. The 2001 Durban Conference was an orgy of hate so vile that the U.S. and Israel pulled out in disgust. It was so bad that even the U.N.’s Mary Robinson, who chaired it, said there was ‘horrible anti-Semitism present.’ ”