Britain, Germany and France are among EU countries so far participating in the Durban III anti-racism conference in New York.

The main political declaration from Durban I, which formed the basis for Durban II in Geneva in 2009, targets only Israel as a human rights violator and lists the Palestinians as racism victims. It produced a tsunami of Jew-hatred, as scores of South African Muslims held banners saying "Hitler should have finished the job".

Canada was the first Western country to pull out of both Durban II and III. The United States, Israel, the Netherlands, Italy and the Czechs are also staying away. Jason Kenney, Canadian Minister of Immigration said that the UN should realise that the poison at Durban I has "placed the entire process under a permanent cloud".

Benjamin Weinthal is a fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies