The UN's “Zionism Is Racism” Effort Begins - Flashback Half-a-Century to Mexico City
July 1975: The UN anti-Zionist effort - which concluded in November 1975 with UN General Assembly success - began at the UN's First International Women's conference in Mexico City
We’ve become accustomed to what has become a multi-decade anti-Israel bias at the United Nations (UN) and in the various UN agencies (beyond the obvious such as UNRWA encompassing WHO, ILO, UNESCO and the human rights bodies and on. In many instances, this bias against Israel goes back to the 1950s and 1960s
Half a century ago this month: The coordinated campaign to denigrate Zionism at the United Nations began as the UN held its first Women’s Conference - The “World Conference of the International Women's Year” (held, June 19th to July 2nd 1975 in Mexico City). At the UN Conference, the participants adopted a resolution characterizing Zionism as Racism. (The entire 200-page of the 1975 Conference. UN Report of the World Conference of the International Women’s Year ]
This UN effort against Zionism of course culminated in the notorious November 1975 General Assembly Vote adopting a resolution characterizing "Zionism as Racism.” And has so often been the case at the UN; the United States stood out as the preeminent moral force against the haters of Israel. Thanks are due to various US Ambassador to the United Nations, the likes of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Jeanne Kirkpatrick, John Bolton and Nikki Haley.
Commenting on the Mexico City resolution, the July 9, 1975 issue of Near East Report wrote:
“A Vote Against “Zionism” - Mirroring the politicization that has marked other UN bodes during the past year, the UN International Women’s Year Conference ended last week with another of condemnation of Zionism. The “declaration of Mexico,” sponsored by the 77 ‘non-aligned countries that has backed various anti-Israel moves, calls for the elimination of Zionism as one of the world’s great evils, along with ‘colonialism, neocolonialsm, imperialsim, foreign domination and occupation, apartheid, racial discrimination…” all of which “inflict incululable suferering on women, men and children’”
Near East Report noted that “The Israeli elegation was denied the opportunity toamake a statement before the vote because of a ‘procedural technicality.” The resolution including the world “Zionism’ then passed by a vote 89-2 with only the United States and Israel voting against and 18 abstentions.”
Bernard Lewis wrote in the journal “FOREIGN AFFAIRS” in October 1976 “The Anti-Zionist Resolution”
"The [November 1975 UN "Zionism is Racism"] Resolution was not an isolated phenomenon, but part of a continuing process. The campaign to secure a U.N. condemnation of Zionism was launched at the World Conference of the International Women's Year held in Mexico City in late June and early July 1975; the "Declaration on the Equality of Women" issued on that occasion repeatedly stresses the share of women in the struggle against neocolonialism, foreign occupation, Zionism, racism, racial discrimination and apartheid.
”On October 17 the Third Committee of the General Assembly-concerned with social, humanitarian and cultural affairs-agreed by a substantial majority that Zionism was a form of racism and called upon the General Assembly to do likewise. This was duly done, and the Resolution made the basis for a series of further condemnations in different agencies and at various meetings of the United Nations..."
JTA reporting at the time on the Mexico City resolution - “Jewish Leaders Condemn Women’s Resolution Adopted in Mexico
Via WIkipedia -
- Letter From the Director of the United States Center for the International Women’s Year (Bacon) to Secretary of State Kissinger, Washington, July 24, 1975.
Text of the UN General Assembly November 1975 #3379 Zionism is Racism resolution
[The resolution was revoked in 1991]
Video US Ambassador to the UN, Daniel Patrick Moynihan
VIDEO: Post Vote Moynihan
Video Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Chaim Herzog
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The most recent “Marking 75 Years since Israel Adopted "The Law of Return"- A few random thoughts about the Welcoming Haven for Jews across the Globe
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