At Israel’s prodding, record 31 nations to boycott Durban conference anniversary

"Thirty-one nations will boycott a UN meeting marking the 20th anniversary of the Durban World Conference on Racism — also known as Durban IV — on Wednesday, over concerns that it will veer into open antisemitism as it has in the past.

The first Durban conference — held from August 31 to September 8, 2001, just days before the terror attacks of September 11 — was marked by deep divisions on the issues of antisemitism, colonialism and slavery.

The US and Israel walked out of the conference in protest at the tone of the meeting, including over plans to include condemnations of Zionism in the final text.

At the 2009 conference, a speech by Iran’s then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacking Israel sparked a temporary walkout by many European delegates.

This year, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said Friday, a record 31 countries will be skipping the event, over double the number that have done so in the past.

'In recent months I have worked for the world to understand that the Durban Conference was fundamentally rotten,' he said in a Monday tweet. 'I’m glad many more understand this today.'

The United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and France are among some of the key nations set to boycott this year’s meeting..."