Referring to the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, to be held in Geneva in April, Livni was quoted by local daily Ha'aretz as saying that "the conference has nothing to do with fighting racism," but rather serves as "an anti-Israeli tribunal."
"The documents prepared for the conference indicate that it is turning once again into an anti-Israeli tribunal, singling out and delegitimizing the State of Israel," Livni told visiting Jewish leaders from across the world, adding that Israel "will not participate and will not legitimize" the forum.
The top Israeli diplomat also called on other nations to join the Jewish state in ostracizing the meeting, which she said "seeks to legitimize hatred and extremism under the banner of a fight against racism."
Earlier this year, Livni said that Israel would boycott the meeting, following assessment by the Foreign Ministry and other Western governments that it would be impossible to prevent the conference from turning into a festival of anti-Israeli attacks, according to the report.
The upcoming event follows the trail of a similar conference in2001 in Durban, South Africa, during which the report said most of the discussions revolved around Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. In response, Israel and the United States lowered the level of their diplomatic representation and eventually quit the conference.
The boycott decision also came against the backdrop of a squabble between UN officials and Israeli officials over the humanitarian situation in the blockaded Gaza Strip. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon phoned Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert on Tuesday to express his deep concern about the situation of the some 1.5 million Gazans, urging Israel to facilitate the movement of urgently needed humanitarian supplies and of aid workers into Gaza.
Citing the continuing rocket attacks from the Hamas-ruled Palestinian enclave, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Hamas is to blame for the deteriorating situation in Gaza. Meanwhile, Olmert has vowed to prevent a humanitarian crisis from developing in the strip.
