IF SHE WERE ANY WORSE...:

Medal Nettle: President Obama is offering the Presidential Medal of Freedom to someone widely considered a villain. (Gregory Levey, 8/06/09, Newsweek)

Robinson presided over the infamous 2001 "World Conference Against Racism" in Durban, which targeted Israel squarely, and so disproportionately that the United States delegation walked out in the middle. (As a result of that debacle, the United States, Canada, Germany, and several other countries skipped the 2009 follow-up conference entirely.) Led by Robinson, the summit made the case that Zionism was inherently racist, plummeting it into a circus of outright hatred where, for example, demonstrators marched with banners saying "Hitler Should Have Finished the Job." Later, Robinson called the conference's results "remarkably good, including on the issues of the Middle East." At exactly the moment when Obama is throwing energy at a just Middle East peace, he has taken the counterproductive step of choosing to honor someone who, despite her other achievements, is anathema to key players in the conflict.

Under Robinson's stewardship, the UNHCHR consistently cost the U.N. credibility by fostering initiatives that, instead of acknowledging that both sides in the conflict had rights and responsibilities, pointed angry fingers at only one party: Israel. One 2002 resolution, for example, voiced support for "all available means, including armed struggle," to establish a Palestinian state. This was widely thought to condone terrorism by Palestinian extremist groups. The result was a disservice not just to Israelis, but also to Palestinians wanting peace.

Given all that, it's no surprise that several American Jewish organizations, such as the Anti-Defamation League, are up in arms. What is surprising, though is that even the highly influential, but usually circumspect, American Israel Public Affairs Committee has chosen to weigh in.

...the UR would be giving her an apology instead of a medal.

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 6, 2009 8:14 PM