The leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on Wednesday praised the Biden Administration for deciding it would not participate in Durban IV.

“We applaud the Biden Administration’s decision to refuse to participate in commemorations of the 20th anniversary of the UN World Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa, which openly embraced anti-Semitism and anti-Israel extremism,” said Dianne Lob, Chair, William Daroff, CEO, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Vice Chair of the Conference of Presidents.

“In declining to participate in celebratory events, the United States is rightfully rejecting the despicable hatred that was leveled against the Jewish State and the Jewish people twenty years ago. We encourage other nations to join the US in continuing to fight racism, bigotry, and anti-Semitism, while rejecting and not participating in such odious proceedings,” they added.

Global Jewish human rights group Simon Wiesenthal Center also thanked Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday for the United States’ decision not to “attend or participate in any events connected to the 20th anniversary of the 2001 Durban Declaration.”

“We expressed our gratitude to Secretary Blinken for the US’ leadership. Twenty years ago, my colleague Dr. Shimon Samuels and I were witnesses to the vile and dangerous Jew-hatred unleashed at an international gathering supposedly convened to fight hate,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean and director of Global Social Action Agenda for the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

“We experienced the indifference, silence and collusion of over 3,500 NGOs, self-declared gatekeepers of civil society, as the Iranians, Hezbollah, Palestinian and other ‘human rights activists’ turned an anti-racism conference into the worst open anti-Semitic hate fest since WWII,” he added.

“As for the UN, instead of celebrating Durban I, it should be working to revoke the ugly stains of horrific anti-Semitism and demonization of Israel that was validated under its big tent in Durban, South Africa, just days before 9/11,” concluded Rabbi Cooper.

Rabbi Cooper noted that its Canadian affiliate is working with other Jewish groups to elicit a commitment from the Canadian Foreign Minister this week.

“The Wiesenthal Center is also reaching out to Germany and other nations, urging them not to attend, support or participate in any way,” Cooper concluded.