The United States' wavering commitment on whether to participate at the U.N. conference on racism exhibits blatant contempt for human rights.

Although I ardently support the Israeli nation and vehemently oppose violence altogether, Israel's actions towards the Palestinian people are utterly wrong and are tantamount to ethnic cleansing.

It is ironic that as a people that experienced, first hand, annihilation only about 60 years ago, they too would practice similar "cleansing" tactics: imprisonment without trial or through brief trials, land and property encroachment, travel and work restrictions for Israeli born Palestinians, and the latest assassinations of Palestinian terrorists without trials.

Secretary of State Colin Powell refuses to go to the racism conference at the U.N. because it contained "Arab-backed 'offensive language' that accused Israel of implementing racist policies against Palestinians."

What are the Israelis doing then?

It seems that the term "never forget" can never apply to the Palestinians.