As Anne Bayefsky points out, it is not unexpected that the "Durban III" conference on racism is seeking to condemn Israel. What is interesting is how brutal they think they can get without having more countries boycott the conference: With the recent pull-outs by the Czech Republic, Italy and the Netherlands added to the previously declared boycotts by the United States, Canada and Israel, negotiations at U.N. Headquarters continued Thursday over how offensive the final declaration of Durban III can become without more countries following suit. The Durban III conference will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the conference held in Durban, South Africa, in September 2001. That event produced the Durban Declaration, which accused just one country on earth of racism, namely Israel. No negotiations, therefore, can hide the fact that Durban III is a commemoration - in the words of the authorizing General Assembly resolution - of a conference and an outcome remembered most notably for...(Read Full Post)