Israel says more than 40 countries boycotting UN commemoration of antisemitic 2001 Durban conference

Israel’s mission to the United Nations says more than 40 countries are boycotting a UN event commemorating the 2001 Durban conference on racism.

The UN’s so-called Durban conference was meant to establish a global agenda for combating racism, but was marred by widespread antisemitism and extremist anti-Israel rhetoric.

The UN is commemorating the conference’s 25th anniversary at its headquarters in New York.

Israel had urged UN members to boycott the commemoration, arguing that the event whitewashed the 2001 conference.

During a commemoration in 2021, 38 countries boycotted.

“The world is sending the UN a clear message: antisemitism should not be celebrated, and hatred of Israel should not be legitimized under the guise of fighting racism,” says Israel’s envoy to the UN, Danny Danon.

“Twenty-five years later, the UN must bury Durban’s toxic legacy instead of continuing to revive it,” he says.