AJC Welcomes Germany's Decision to Skip Durban 20 Summit

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Jul 24, 2021, 11:01 ET

NEW YORK , July 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Jewish Committee (AJC) applauds Germany for its principled decision to not attend the 20th anniversary summit of the UN's notorious 2001 World Conference Against Racism.

The gathering is set to take place in New York on September 22, during the opening days of the UN General Assembly. With its announcement today, Germany joins the United States, Israel, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Hungary, Austria, Canada, Australia, and the Czech Republic in announcing they will skip the meeting.

"Germany has again asserted leadership in the global fight against antisemitism," said AJC CEO David Harris. "Germany has once again, as it did in 2009 and 2011, laudably recognized the discredited nature of the original conference, held in Durban, South Africa. We hope other nations will follow suit."

The 2001 conference quickly diverted from its original agenda and goals and turned into a hate fest, where Israel and its supporters were consistently attacked, sometimes involving physical intimidation, as racist. At the parallel NGO Forum, many participants openly expressed hatred toward Israel and threatened representatives of Jewish NGOs participating in the event.

"Confronting true racism around the world is a noble cause, but singling out one country, Israel, and one group of people, Jews, for continual censure is grossly unjust, and undermines the global fight against antisemitism and other forms of bigotry and hatred," said Harris.

AJC has had a unique, longstanding relationship with Germany, dating back to 1949-50. In 1998, the organization opened an office in Berlin, which today is directed by Dr. Remko Leemhuis.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee