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Israel and the United Nations Conference on Racism

Written by Ralph E. Stone. Posted in Opinion, Politics

Published on April 22, 2009 with 4 Comments

ahmadijenad_042009.jpg
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
addresses the Durban Review Conference on racism
at the UN European headquarters in Geneva. (Reuters Photo)

By Ralph E. Stone

April 22, 2009

On Monday, at the United Nations Racism Conference in Geneva, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Israel “a cruel and repressive racist regime,” prompting delegates from European nations to walk out. While I am not a fan of the Iranian President and his numerous diatribes, he did make a point. Why doesn’t Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians belong at a forum on discrimination and xenophobia?

Consider, Israel has erected a wall or fence, which cuts deep into Palestinian territory, joining large Jewish settlement blocks to Israel, further confining the Palestinians to isolated enclaves. Israel continues to establish new settlements (called outposts), demolishing homes and uprooting plantations in the process. And since Israel instituted a strict closure policy in 2000, the Palestinian economy has been on a downward trend. Fuel, electricity and materials to maintain water and sanitation are under Israeli control. The lack of investment in public infrastructure and private enterprises are eroding the limited remaining Palestinian economic base. The economic blockade has devastated the Gaza private sector and driven almost all industrial producers out of business. About 63 percent of Gazans and 45 percent of the West Bank population live below the UN poverty line. The Palestinian unemployment rate is about 24 percent.

How can a People who have been persecuted for centuries and were the victims of the Holocaust in turn persecute the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip? Looks like a prima facie case of racism to me and a proper item for discussion at a conference on racism.

Succumbing to lobbying by Jewish and pro-Israeli groups, the United States boycotted this conference as did a number of other nations. Given our history of discrimination against Blacks, Asians, the Irish, etc., we could have provided a unique perspective on racism. After all, a conference on racism is an ideal place to discuss controversial opinions. And isn’t somewhat ironic that an African American president declined to provide leadership at a conference on racism? As Woody Allen once said, “90 percent of life is just showing up.”

Ralph E. Stone

I was born in Massachusetts; graduated from Middlebury College and Suffolk Law School; served as an officer in the Vietnam war; retired from the Federal Trade Commission (consumer and antitrust law); travel extensively with my wife Judi; and since retirement involved in domestic violence prevention and consumer issues.

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  • sholomho1

    When the imperialist nations walked out on President Ahmadinejad of Iran, it showed those who remained to hear an articulate leader elucidate the truth about the impostor nation called Israel and the satanic nations that comprise Europe and the other Anglo-Saxon nations. My question is this? Who really cares that these demonic stooges exited the assembly of morally correct nations. Did not these men who exited represent some of the most racist nations upon the planet today. Do not these nations have a history with the true holocaust, the African slave trade. Maybe now that they are gone; the real world can truly discuss their racist, Nazi ideological behaviors. Who are they to call the kettle black? Kudo’s to President Ahmadinejad; maybe he could spare some testicles or a backbone to the puppet leaders of democracy. Now bring on President Chavez.

  • alternative johnny

    Call me dumb, your dumb…! But I”ve never met a person who did was not a racist. Indeed I have yet to meet a practising Christian, jew or muslim. This not surprising given that there is less than 1% genetic difference between humanity and chimpanzees, potentially nasty bastards they are too. It”s not history that repeats itself, it”s human nature. Roll on global warming and Madonna”s next album.

    AJ

  • Richmondman

    I am grateful that we live in America, where people with different opinions are free to express themselves. Isreal, too. The same can not be said for Iran, Venevuela, Cuba, Gaza. Sholomho1, you would last about 30 seconds in those countries before they emasculated you an put you to the stake and burned you alive. I am not disputing your assessment of racism in the West, but don’t forget – Ahmadinejad would have you, Sholomho1, killed in an instant – solely because you are an American. We would not murder him solely because he is Iranian. That makes you and I different from him.

  • jabber_jabber

    Schlomo, you post was meant as irony right? The western nations where you have in general the right to worship and attach yourself to most any political weirdness is bad and places like Venezuela and Iran are good?

    Liberals are so mixed up, we allow them freedoms and rights and they complain about them when they are used, and they look up to horrid human rights abusers like Castro, Chavez and Iranian religio nut case.