Israel was branded a "racist apartheid" state early yesterday by thousands of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) meeting in South Africa.
The harsh anti-Israeli language in the NGO Forum's final declaration injected new Middle East tension into the parallel UN World Conference Against Racism attended by 153 governments in the Indian Ocean port of Durban.
Israel said yesterday it was shocked by "racist and antisemitic" declarations made at the UN conference on racism and accused Arab and Muslim countries of "kidnapping" the event.
Worsening Israeli-Palestinian violence has cast a shadow over the racism meeting despite pleas by Nelson Mandela to seize the chance to end the contagion of racial discrimination.
The NGO Forum accused the Jewish state of "systematic perpetration of racist crimes including war crimes, acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing."
It called Israel "a racist apartheid state in which Israel's brand of apartheid as a crime against humanity has been characterized by segregation ... and inhumane acts."
The declaration, adopted by 3,000 NGOs in 44 regional and interest-based caucuses, shocked Jewish groups, prompting Jewish delegates to walk out.
"Some of the declarations and resolutions adopted in Durban are clearly racist and antisemitic," Israeli President Moshe Katsav said.
For his part, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said in Tel Aviv that Israel is "seriously considering" recalling its delegation from Durban, and boycotting the rest of the meetings if "excessively extremist resolutions" are adopted.
International human rights organizations rejected the forum's declaration, which was presented to the UN to be incorporated into the conference's document.
The US, Canada and Israel sent only junior level delegations to the conference.
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