Rebecca Anna Stoil , THE JERUSALEM POST Apr. 20, 2009
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710731385&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

Although the government is boycotting the UN Durban Review Conference
(Durban II) that opens Monday in Geneva, members of Israel's Arab opposition
parties voiced their support for the conference.

Balad chairman MK Jamal Zahalka, who will attend Durban II, addressed the
crowd at the NGO Civil Society Forum March in Geneva on Sunday, presenting
himself as a Palestinian victim of "Israeli racist apartheid" and concluding
his speech by proclaiming: "No peace without justice."

Zahalka said he planned to raise the issue of the "official racism" with
which, he argued, Israel discriminated against Palestinian residents, citing
Israel Beiteinu's election victory as evidence of the racism in Israeli
society.

"Any conference against racism is welcome, especially when it is held under
the auspices of the UN," said Zahalka's fellow Balad MK Said Nafa. "All
countries in the word should be concerned by racism, and everybody is
participating other than those who have something to fear."

"There are dangerous signs of racism in Israel, including a party that is
super racist," Nafa added, referring to Israel Beiteinu. "Such a party is
dangerous first and foremost to the Jews. In the past, racist movements
first brought tragedy to their own nations and only later to others."

Nafa said that he was satisfied that both his party's chairman and its
secretary-general were participating in the conference, but said he was
disappointed that the government had decided to boycott the conference, and
that no members of the coalition were present in Geneva.

"Since the last elections, there has been an increase in racism, which has
become mainstream in Israeli society," said United Arab List-Ta'al MK Ahmed
Tibi. "I can understand the shame of Israel - which is why they fled and
aren't participating. It wouldn't be pleasant for Israel to be present
there."

Tibi added that those who seek to boycott the conference on the basis of
anti-Semitism were simply looking for a convenient excuse. "Israel's lack of
participation is a form of running away. Israel is being accused there, and
Israel solves the problem by claiming anti-Semitism. But not everything that
is critical of Israel is anti-Semitism," he added.

It appeared that the Arab MKs' trips were paid for by their parties.