We are appalled by the concerted effort, led by Israeli officials, Zionist organizations and apologists, to derail the Durban Review Conference. We condemn the use of the memory of the Nazi genocide, as Jewish organizations did during the Durban Review week, in the defense of Israel's systematic domination and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. We are shocked by the cynical pretense of defending human rights, for example in Darfur and Rwanda, by organizations and groups that are only interested in silencing Palestinian demands for accountability and redress and have no serious commitment to human rights. The brazen exploitation of genocides and racialized violence in Africa for the purpose of protecting and extending colonial domination in Palestine is itself an instance of colonial racism. It is only tolerated due to the strength of racism inside the institutions of global governance.

Racism is one of the legacies of colonialism and a fundamental injustice in societies all over the world. The World Conference Against Racism in Durban 2001 took a belated small step toward recognizing the impact of colonialism and racism on Africa and initiating a global discussion about the crime of slavery and the need for restitution; it also addressed many other instances of racism that must be addressed. It is beyond obvious to us that a conference about racism, and especially a conference that seeks to address the legacy of colonial oppression, must discuss Israel, since Israel is a settler-colonial state that systematically oppresses and denies basic human rights to millions of Palestinians. Israel's attempt to derail this important conference in order to avoid being examined and called to account is an affront against all the victims of racism all over the world, including the six million Jews who perished in the Nazi genocide.

We recall that the crimes of the Nazis, among them those committed against Jews, have been a major catalyst and rationale for the establishment of humanitarian and human right laws and instruments after World War II. These laws and instruments, however flawed and limited, are of profound importance to innumerable victims of violence. These laws, the people they seek to protect, and the work of countless activists in movements for justice and dedicated professionals in the field, are being trivialized and demeaned by a network of primarily Jewish Zionist organizations that deploy massive financial resources as they seek to defend the indefensible-the systematic oppression of Palestinians by the state of Israel.

We call on these organizations to stop. We call on all those committed to preserving and deepening the mechanisms of protection and redress embodied by humanitarian and human rights law to rise up to their defense and to refuse to cooperate in their destruction. We call on those genuinely committed to these values to support those in Sudan committed to justice and an end to violence, and to condemn the exploitation of these efforts by Zionist organizations. We commend the many governments, mostly of the South, who have not allowed the conference to unravel, and also the many dedicated human rights workers who kept the process going and steered it, against the saboteurs, towards reaching imperfect but important resolutions that will continue to propel forward the struggle against racism. We condemn the governments of United States, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, and Poland for not attending the Durban Review conference and for using overblown accusations of antisemitism as a way to avoid confronting their own unresolved issues of racism and reparations for slavery and colonialism.  

We demand an immediate end to the threats of military attack on Iran by the U.S. and Israel.

We demand that all governments, U.N. agencies and bodies recognize the continuing history of racism and colonialism that is the root of many of the world's current conflicts, including in Palestine, and commit to accountability and redress.

We affirm our solidarity and support for Palestinian resistance and liberation struggle and all other struggles against oppression, domination and exploitation.

 International Jewish Anti-zionist Network                                                                April 24, 2009