This is beyond me - how the Obama administration can be at this point, with the anti-racism conference dubbed "Durban II" set to commence next Monday, still wavering in any way on attending this conference which is set up to bash Israel from one end of the stage to the other, is beyond me. The U.S. followed Canada's and Israel's lead in boycotting the conference but then organizers promised some tweeks...so the U.S. has basically been treading water for weeks. Obviously, if the U.S. decides to attend, it will send shock waves across the Middle East and most certainly, Israel. But for America to not have come out a week ago, or two weeks ago and simply reaffirmed that we will not attend this farce is a slap in the face of Israel as it is. Perhaps the Obama administration sees it as an official opportunity to rub elbows with the midget from Tehran as Ahamdinejad announced that he will be there - can you image Ahmadinejad and Obama shaking hands just after the inbred leader of Iran ranted about wiping Israel off the face of the earth? Here's much of the story from The Jerusalem Post:
United States leaves option to attend 'Durban II' open
The United States is likely to wait until the last moment before deciding whether to hold to its original decision to withdraw from the United Nations' anti-racism conference, which opens this coming Monday in Geneva, according to diplomatic sources.
As of press time Monday, the US was expected to issue a statement clarifying its position regarding the week-long event, dubbed Durban II, which opponents fear will single out Israel and will take a stand against free speech.
Initially, only Canada and Israel said they would not attend. But when the United States and Italy followed suit, and other European countries threatened to boycott the event as well, steps were taken to amend the draft text of the conference document to stem the growing swell of opponents.
With less than a week to go until the conference opens, the changes have not yet gone far enough to assuage those opponents. Among other things, they worry that the event will replicate the virulent anti-Semitic atmosphere of the 2001 United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance that met in Durban, South Africa. Israel and the US walked out of that conference in protest, while the European Union remained.
News Monday that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who seeks to annihilate Israel, had formally announced his intention to attend the anti-racism conference only fed those fears that Durban II would be a repeat of the 2001 event.
Conference opponents have also taken issue with the conference's stance against defamation of religion, which they claim is a blow to freedom of speech.
Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva Roni Leshno Yaar told The Jerusalem Post that attempts were still ongoing in Geneva to come up with a compromise text that would appease the United States and allow it to participate in the conference.
"We are still very far from closure on this business," said Leshno Yaar.
The last planning session for the conference ends on Friday, April 17, just three days before the event opens on Monday, April 20.
"We will continue with this game until the very last day and hour before the conference," he said.
One of Israel's objections has been the opening paragraph of the 2009 draft text. It reaffirms the 2001 document, which singled out the Jewish state. Any other new language that referenced Israel has now been removed from the 2009 text.
Ahmadinejad's decision to come has complicated the issue, said Leshno Yaar, adding that the Iranian president was not coming to praise Western democracies. Now there are more questions on the agenda, Leshno Yaar noted: If those democracies attend, will they also listen to his speech or will they walk out? How will they sit in the room while Ahmadinejad is speaking against them and against Israel?
The issue here goes beyond the text to the overall atmosphere of hatred that can be created, said Leshno Yaar.
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