April 18, 2009 – New York – The American Jewish Committee (AJC) applauded the United States decision tonight that it will not attend the UN Durban Review Conference in Geneva because of objectionable language in the conference's Final Declaration.

"We applaud the principled stance of the United States," said AJC Executive Director David A. Harris. "The Obama Administration correctly concluded that the reaffirmation of the 2001 Durban Declaration in the final declaration effectively singles out Israel for condemnation. That is an outrage.”

In addition, the U.S. noted that language about 'incitement,' widely understood as attempting to curb legitimate discussion of the Islamic faith, runs counter to free speech commitments.

“For AJC, a leading global advocacy organization dedicated to combating bigotry and upholding human rights, the failure of conference organizers to stay focused on the key goals is deeply disheartening,” said Harris. “At the end of the day, the constellation of UN members, some of whom are themselves leading human rights abusers, could not resist using yet another international forum to demonize Israel.”

The State Department announcement that the U.S. will not attend underlines America’s deep commitment to fighting genuine and egregious instances of racism and bigotry worldwide, and not succumb to politically-motivated actions by serial human rights abusers seeking to deflect attention from their own notorious violations.

"AJC stands solidly with the Administration in the fight against the scourge of racism," said Harris. "Sadly, despite the best efforts of the U.S. and other countries, the Durban Review Conference will not be the venue to advance these concerns."

In addition to the U.S., other democratic states, including Canada, Italy and Israel, have pulled out of the Review Conference. The first UN World Conference Against Racism, held in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, degenerated into an outrageous display of anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel.