From the Liveblog of
Sunday, June 11, 2023
UN postpones conference on antisemitism that was slated for next week
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
A UN conference on antisemitism that was scheduled to take place next week in Cordoba, Spain has been postponed.
The confab was supposed to feature the rollout of the United Nations Action Plan of Monitoring Antisemitism, but the Israeli mission to the UN and several Jewish organizations have been pushing back in recent weeks upon reportedly learning that the draft dropped the assertion that anti-Zionism is equivalent to antisemitism.
“We look forward to continuing to work with United Nations Undersecretary and High Representative Moratinos to ensure that the UN Action Plan on Antisemitism is credible and useful,” said conference of presidents CEO William Daroff.
“American Jewish organizations work closely with our international partners, foreign governments, and the US State Department in dialogue with the United Nations to emphasize our priorities, including continuing recognition by the UN of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which was adopted by 41 UN member states. The IHRA definition remains the gold standard, as highlighted by the fact that no other definition of antisemitism has been adopted by any country in the world,” he said.
Conference participants received a letter on Friday from the UN office organizing the gathering, saying that “after very careful consideration and aiming to ensure the Action Plan is inclusive and benefits from the inputs of all stakeholders, I would like to allow more time for further work and finalization of the Plan during Summer 2023.”
The conference has been pushed to September, organizers say in a letter shared with The Times of Israel. No exact date has been set yet.
