your right these particular critics seem to have almost as much blood on their hands as israel. More appropriate retalitory measures are needed, more like an eye for an eye instead of
thousands wounded and hundreds dead...

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Unfortunately the Jewish State will always be attacked by both those on the left and those on the right. It is simply an easy target. And has been such since its creation in 1948.Setting up what most consider a Western democracy in the Middle East is an experiment which may take centuries to evolve. And having it's government tied to the existence of a Jewish state only makes it that much more unique.

No surprises here. It will take a very long time for Israel to be accepted by the world at large. it has nothing to do with simple politics. It is an emotional thing that transcends any type of logic. It borders on hysteria from both political sides. It is truly an anathema. Maybe the very definition of that word.

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Well that is all very well M. Levy, but Israel is a profoundly racist entity, racist in its conception, the doctrine of Zionism, and certainly, time and time again, racist in its vile practices against the arabs within and surrounding its borders.
Since 1948 the Israelis have cleverly exploited justified world sympathy and revulsion over the holocaust to secure preferential treatment in the eyes of world opinion, whereas, in recent history, other peoples have been subjected to equally vicious genocide (of equivalent if not necessarily 'industrial' scale) without being able to secure equivalent sympathy. Remember that some of the terrorist practices common in the region today were first carried out against British troops prior to the establishment of the Jewish state. Claims by the Israelis to the moral high ground are as unjustified as their
claims to the land they have stolen from its rightful occupants.

I am not Jewish, nor do I particularly care about the fate of Israel, since I am an American.

I can say that Israel has hardly had any peace since it was founded only 50 years ago, and is surrounded by dirt poor people who are easily manipulated into hating the Jews.

I think we should just let all the Israelis come to America and they can have North and South Dakota or some other sparsely populated state. Just like the Mormons run most of Utah and the Amish are nicely settled in Pennsylvania.

That said, as far as most Americans are concerned, the Israelis can fight it out forever. I just don't think we should be funding the battle, since we clearly have our own problems to attend to.

As far as sidelines and all the pro-palestinian rhetoric goes, Jordan, Egypt, they could take the Palestinians in. But they hate you too. So as far as violence goes, the Jews have had their fair share directed at them. They are justified in responding with violence.

Too suggest that Israel should be the exclusive recipient (target) of such blatant criticism is absurd. I would be remiss to look past Israel's actions--but to ignore those of the rest of the world (Mugabe and Sudan to name a few) is even worse. In spite of its Palestinian relations, Israel still provides suffrage and social services to its Arab citizens--something one could not say about Iran and its Baha'i population.

What many throughout the world--both supporters and detractors of Israel--forget is that all nations must be held to a high and equal standard. What Durban II is doing is turning a deaf ear to the screams of millions across the globe. This event should offend those who support human rights and equality--everywhere.

Israel jumped the Nazi shark a long time ago. There racists to the core.

I find it interesting that Mr. Levy would raise the issue of Rwanda and Zimbabwe as if these atrocities occurred as a singular function of racism, and not part of post-colonialism and Cold War realignment. Mugabe did not happen overnight -- one forgets that just over ten years ago, he was received by renown institutions of higher education and Queen Elizabeth fresh from crushing ethnic aligned opposition. And one wonders if the bonfire of death that nearly engulfed Rwanda would have been so quick to burn if the German and Belgian colonialists had not brought their brand of eugenics to Africa. Yes, the specter of racial and ethnic hatred have played a role in both societies, but it must be seen within the larger orchestrated battle over resource control and the persistence of imperialism.

If he had a more sophisticated viewpoint with regards to the works of Franz Fanon and Nelson Mandela (whom he defines as "anti-racists" when the more appropriate term would be "anti-colonialists"), he would better understand the thinking of some of the international representatives at Durban II, who see the establishment of Israel as an extension of British colonialism. By excluding the politics of colonialism and imperialism from the dialogue, democratic countries are absolved of their complicity in the development of the underdeveloped world -- which leaves only the aspect of racism to discuss, which isn't very useful given its context.

In the end, Durban is a global intellectual exercise which will do nothing to stop the next genocide or ethnic skirmish because it is a pantomime of the problems which it seeks to resolve. Rather than tackling the issues of racism and ethnic hatred proactively and objectively, Durban seeks redress for past grievances that need concrete resolutions with more finger wagging.

As an American, a Jew, and not a bigot, I am appalled by the comments above. First of all, to characterize all Jews as "barbaric" and "the worst of the worst" (talking to you, sidelines) is absolutely disgusting. Those comments are of the same caliber that was used against blacks at the height of racism in the US. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Second of all, while I personally believe that Israel's reaction in the recent conflict was rash and too harsh, I remind you all that it was indeed a reaction, and not the first strike. The Palestinians were (and still continue to after the cease-fire) lobbing rockets all over Israeli territory. Israel's citizens demanded a strong response to the barbaric targeting of innocents by terror groups in Palestine, a tactic not employed by the IDF.

Thirdly, to the notion that Israel as a whole should relocate anywhere, I ask you this. If someone wanted YOUR home, would you just move? If someone wanted YOUR country, would you just sit back and let them take it? Obviously not. And if you think that's what Israel did to the Palestinians, then you are sadly wrong. The Israeli's were given the land by UN resolution, fair and square.

If anyone is racist in this situation, it's Israel's enemies. Israel has no problem living peacefully with the surrounding Arab countries-- it is many of the Arab countries which refuse to recognize Israel, and several repeatedly call for its destruction. Now if calling for the killing of an entire people is not racism, I don't know what is.

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A meaningful discussion between world leaders on racist government policy could generate tremendous insight into solving this pernicious evil. The proposed conference is a joke and a farce, cruel in the extreme. It is cruel because for many, this may be the only opportunity they have to speak from the world stage and they will be marginalized, ignored, unheard as the hysterical rant against Israel blares out from the boombox.
No nation is without stain. No government has totally avoided racism in some of its policies. But by the same token, no government that promotes racism, no matter its disguise - religion, they-hate-us-so-we-hate-them, tribal or ethnic warfare - has the grounds to justify crucifying any other group using the same nails.

newyorkcity,
"rash and too harsh" who are you kidding it was genocide and shameful.

IT IS VERY SAD TO SAY, BUT IT HAS BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE THIS WAY....SIMPLY, SINCE 1948 WHEN THEY WERE OFFERED THE CHANCE TO HAVE THEIR OWN STATE AND REFUSED, BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO DRIVE US INTO THE SEA AND INTO OBLIVION.....

Poor choice of art for this essay. Borders on caricature, really. I'm Jewish, all my relatives are Jewish, many of my friends are Jewish. None of us look like that silhouette, none of us share a world view with the people in the photo, yet to many in the world, and, apparently, to some editors at the Daily Beast they represent us. Other than that, excellent piece by Levy. Durban II must be boycotted.

Reading these posts, I must say, there are anti Semitic writing here as hateful as any from the Arab world! It also appears that few bothered to take in what Mr. Levy has written. Their apparent hatred of Jews leaves them without examining their own antisemitism or understanding that those who call for Durban II are ignoring the horrific human rights issues in their own back yard. As any craven scoundrel will do, is wag a finger at others to hide their own malicious intentions.

jews are not barbaric, nor racist, nor hypocritical, nor neo-nazis, nor rotten to the core
however, sidelines, johnhall50, and roberttell are

holocaust->genocide->racism(anti-semitism) and bigotry: the jews for years have been scapegoats for numerous things which is just disgusting that society allows it

So how do you stop someone who continually breaks the peace and "shoots bombs" at your home? Pack "um" up and moved "um" out or "defend your country"?

The land belongs to the Jews - that will become apparent in the future. For now the Jews must do what they have to do to just survive.

Israel's defenders, including Mr. Levy, can't seem to come to grips with why that country's atrocities are sometimes more prominent in media debates. Let me try to highlight obvious reasons.
1. Israel has been the largest recipient of U.S. aid for decades. So while I decry the Rwandan genocide, the Zimbabwean kleptocracy and the Darfur whatever-it-is, I am not paying for them. I helped pay for Gaza.
2. After paying cash to underwrite Israel's whims, my country is then held to account by Islamists who rightly see us as co-conspirator in Israel's bloody domination of the Middle East. I get to pay for my own country's imperilment.
If Levy and others don't see that greater personal culpability in Isreal's sins by paying for them - plus getting 911ed in thanks for our efforts - make for a higher interest in Israel than Darfur, well, I think he just wants everything to be explained by anti-semitism.

The U.N. has made a career out of blaming the Jews. Back in
the Seventies I interviewed that Israeli Ambassador Chaim
Herzog who ripped up an anti-zionist resolution in front of
the U.N.'s New York City headquarters. Patricia Burstein

Not having read this article (I live in France and LOATH Bernard Henri Levy)
I can only say remind its readers that B.H.L. is probably just following the two VERY Politically Correct French intellectual elite scribes of, "if the American left likes it, we hate it," and, "never ever EVER say anything bad about Jews and/or Israel."

I personally, have no respect for Islam, a religion that treats women like goats. I said Israel has the right to exist and to fight. But the U.S. wasn't created 50 years ago by the Brits, and Canada and Mexico are allies, not enemies.

This is Israel's (and any supporter of Israel) moment of truth. This is your "Scarface" moment. You wanna go to war?! You wanna go to war with the entire middle east? Every Muslim there? Because that is what is going to happen if you don't either expel the Palestinians or reach a two state solution. I don't now how more pro-Israel I can be really.

To sum up: I have no respect for the entire Religion of Islam.

I like the Jews, but they are crazy to stay in a small state surrounded by enemies.

To Jews, the Holy Land may be worth every life, every struggle. But I don't live in Israel, and neither to you NewYorkCity, so what does America get out of it except more enemies.

New York city, I agree with you that calling Jews "Barbaric and the "worst in the world" is indeed racist rhetoric in its self. But then you address in a tirade about the virtues of self defence when someone wants "YOUR HOME," or "YOUR COUNTRY." You have a good point there, but it is also one shared by the million palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

I am not a racist either and I have nothing against the religion of Judiahsm nor the people who practice it. The nation of Isreal is a completely different story though. How many democracies enact full scale military opperations against groups of people within their own boarders? Why won't the nation of Isreal come clean about the fact that they practice apparteid? It isn't exactly like it is a secret.

I would like to throw this question out to anyone too. America has been a great friend to Isreal. Our politicians stand up for it all of the time. Our country gives it boatloads of money and guns, but what does Isreal ever give back? Seriously the country is like a crazy girlfriend that gets you into fights and never admits when it is wrong. Once again these criticisms are directed at Isreal not Judiahism, beleive it or not the two things are different.

All that being said the only good point that the author of the article has, is that an anti racism conference planned by Ahmadinejad most likely isn't going to have the most anti racist of mission statements. Ahmadinejad has indeed stated that he wants to force Isreal to crumble into the sea. That is clearly wrong and shouldn't happen. Ahmadinejad is insane. Yet I don't think that sane people with valid criticism of Isreal should be labled as anti-semitist either. I think there is a big difference between American tax payers who don't want to subsidize tanks and buldozers for Isreali crazies like Nattanyahu or any one in the Likud party, and noted anti-semitist crazies like Ahmadinejad, and they shouldn't be lumped under the same umbrella.

After his disastrously shallow skim across America in the footsteps of De Tocqueville, I did not know Levy was still published on that side of the water. What the man lacks in cogency and insight he inevitably makes up with his determination to steal a headline. More disappointing, however, is that he has not lost a shred of that patronising self-regard that makes his writing so uniquely irritating.

Go to South Africa, Levy, given that you were lucky enough to be invited and unlike that continent's vast majority you can actually afford it. Meet with those people that a priori you assume you could not ever agree with, debate vigorously with them, and then, and only then, have a stab at a re-write, you pompous ass.