It was a busy day Thursday in Turtle Bay, the landfill upon which the U.N. building was built on the far east side of Manhattan island.
In the morning, the Durban Review Conference at the United Nations got underway with a host of emply chairs and mostly empty pronouncements about fighting racism from countries with spotty human rights records. Israel got a tongue lashing from a few nations, but the Palestinian issue did not dominate the proceedings.
Around midday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad talked 9/11 conspiracy theories, and the U.S. delegation walked out.
In the afternoon, activists in the streets and hotels near the United Nations staged counter-conferences, rallies and protests against the goings-on at the United Nations.
Next up on Friday: Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas each address the United Nations, and the showdown over Palestinian statehood at the U.N. Security Council begins.
Oh, and more gridlock traffic.
