Washington, D.C.--“I am absolutely disgusted by the vile comments made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Durban II Conference in Geneva – a gathering which is supposed to be about fighting racism and prejudice. I would like to say it was surprising to hear this kind of ignorant rhetoric, but Mr. Ahmadinejad has already called for wiping Israel off the map. So this is sadly no surprise at all.

“The world needs to address the important issues of racism and intolerance and it is discouraging to see the Durban Conference hijacked by Israel haters for a second time. When the Obama Administration backed out of the conference, I supported that decision because I feared it would once again devolve into anti-Semitism. It is a shame to see such a noble enterprise twisted into some of the angriest, most hateful speech against Jews and Israel.

“I would like to express my gratitude to our friends in Britain, France and the other 40 or so European countries who walked out when he began his hateful tirade. I would like this gesture to become a starting point for a real discussion, among nations, of the way to combat the real and serious problem of racism. Without having the lunatic fringe elements of world picking Israel as a target for attacks, a discussion could be held and progress could be made.”