I posted yesterday on the shameful decision by the Obama administration to boycott the Durban II conference being held in Geneva. Well, even though the US isn't there, the show must go on, and what a show it is. Here is a story from the JTA on the activities leading up to the official events:
There are several other good sources following the story, including invaluable reports from MuzzleWatch, which is on the scene. Please check out their site. So far they've reported how, far from boycotting the event, Israel is out in full force with an intense publicity campaign. This p.r. campaign hits on many themes familiar to this site, including the issue of Darfur. They've also shown how not all pro-Israel groups are as sophisticated when it comes to messaging, including one pro-settler organization that is using the opportunity of Geneva to promote the Jerusalem settlement Nof Zion, a settlement we've mentioned before on Mondoweiss.
Finally, Antony Loewenstein gives a good rundown of events on his blog. He ends with:
As a Jew who writes extensively about Israel/Palestine, I have no
desire for Iran to speak for me on human rights (and my recent book, The Blogging Revolution,
details the woeful record of the Islamic Republic.) But the fierce
resistence to even examine the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and
its well documented recent abuses
in Gaza is shameful. These are not actions of a civilised nation. It is
the behaviour that we would condemn if done by a relatively unknown
Third World nation, but Israel is seemingly untouchable.Well, it’s not anymore. Any number of activists, journalists, human
rights workers and lawyers are increasingly speaking out about
Palestine. Until the Western political and elite understand this,
resistance will continue. Self-appointed Jewish leaders and their
Western backers are trying to stop the inevitable; Israel is the new
South Africa and will soon be viewed in exactly the same way that that
apartheid regime was seen.
Wow, and this is just after day one! Stay tuned.
