Jewish delegates at a UN racism conference in Durban said today they were being victimised by anti-Israeli pressure groups.
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The official UN conference opens on Friday, and Jewish groups in Durban for an earlier non-governmental race forum said their members had been intimidated by pro-Palestinian groups pressing the meetings to denounce Israel as a racist and modern-day apartheid state.
"I feel besieged, there's anti-Semitism and hate literature at the World Racism Conference. It couldn't get much worse," said Ms Anne Bayefsky, a professor from New York's Columbia Law School.
"Some of the Jewish delegates are hiding their accreditation badge because it identifies them as from Israel or as Jewish. Some are considering leaving Durban altogether," she said.
The United States has said it will not attend the UN conference if Arab and Islamic states insist on pressing for the meeting to accept offensive language against Israel.
The State Department said US Secretary of State Colin Powell would not attend the summit, and Washington has not announced what level of delegation, if any, it will send.
A senior Palestinian delegate today rejected claims by Jewish groups that they were being victimised by Arab delegates.
"They are not being intimidated. All the NGO delegates here are supporting victims of racism," said Mr Shawqi Issa, executive director of Jerusalem-based The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment.