Israel has taken over the rotating chairmanship of the UN Conference on Disarmament (this was the conference that Iraq was to have chaired; the rotation is alphabetical). A number of Muslim countries, with the notable inclusion of Egypt and the notable exception of Turkey, have chosen to sit thi month out, with chair empty and low-level officials skulking around the back of the hall. Ostensibly, their boycott is in protest of Israel's refusal to leave itself defenseless. The Israeli chairman called for "dialogue and acceptance."

How about "Israel is a nation as real as any of yours, and we're not going anywhere. We exepect these states to end their petulant behavior and get on with the business of this conference. They should be advised that delegates present are expected to take their seats or leave; standing is for the lobby. And they should be further advised that the conference retains a quorum for transacting business, and they absent themselves at their own risk."