BRUSSELS (EJP)---A two-day conference by a UN panel on the rights of the Palestinians will take place in the European Parliament in Brussels at the end of this month in spite of complaints by Israel and Jewish groups about the anti-Israeli character of the meeting.

The conference, entitled “International Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace,” will bring together several non-government organizations.

Israel’s ambassador to the European Union, Ran Curiel, last week asked the European Parliament not to host the conference to be held August 30-31 under the auspices of the United Nations "Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable rights of the Palestinian People", saying this committee has a "proven record of presenting a biased and anti-Israeli narrative."

In a letter to European Parliament President Hans Gert Poettering and several MEPs, Curiel stressed that the committee “is an anachronistic product of the UN which was created in 1975, in the context of the infamous resolution "Zionism is Racism" revoked in 1991.

"Since it was founded this committee is engaged in one-sided propaganda activities which present only the Palestinian narrative, including the de-legitimization of Israel – a UN member state," the ambassador said.

Curiel called the decision of the European Parliament to allow such a conference "lamentable." "We are convinced that many EP members oppose this association and that it is not the intention of the Parliament to associate itself with a campaign designed to de-legitimize the state of Israel," he added

He recalled that the EU assembly had rejected a similar request for the meeting by the committee a few years ago because it was "one-sided" and it called for a boycott and sanctions against Israel.

Curiel also reminded that EU member states abstain every year in the vote to renew the mandate of the committee. The committee is chaired by Senegal and its members are mainly Moslem countries. Malta is the only EU member state in the committee’s bureau.

'Not a European Parliament conference'

A spokesperson for European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering told European Jewish Press Tuesday that the conference is to take place “in the European Parliament” but “is not a conference of the parliament,” meaning that the EU assembly is only providing rooms and logistics for the event.

He stressed however that the President is “not involved” and has “no say” in this issue as it was the Conference of presidents of the European Parliament, composed of the leaders of the various political groups, which took the decision to allow the meeting in the parliament premises.

“The President has not the power to change this,” the spokesman said.

Last week, Shimon Samuels, international director of the Paris-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre, urged the EP to cancel what he called "a conference of uncivil society that would tarnish the European Parliament’s good name."

“If the European Parliament grants legitimacy to those who aim to impose boycotts in contravention of EU conventions, to perpetuate prejudice, discrimination, exclusion, and incite to Jew-hatred, the EU’s role in the Quartet for Middle East peace will surely be compromised,” he added.