Reminds me of the refusnik list a few years ago signed by 200-300 Israeli soldiers who didn't want to serve in the IDF. The international media who simply adores self-hating Jews made a big deal of this. What people "forgot" was the counter-petition signed by 10.000 Israeli soldiers who condemned their 300 unpatriotic colleagues. The vast majority of Israeli soldiers might have second thoughts about certain Israeli politicians but they proudly wear the IDF uniform and defend Israel. Israeli soldiers who represent the mainstream should tour the US nad Europe and inform people how it feels like being attacked on a daily basis by terrorists and demonized in the international media for having the "nerve" of defending yourself and your country.

i don't make this up: http://www.upzshalom.org/roots.htm The UPZ was founded by the veteran social Zionist youth movements, Habonim Dror and Hashomer Hatzair, along with two of the American Jewish organizations most associated with liberal Jewish values – Meretz USA and Ameinu.

to see how much do they know about arabism/islamism? the history, the imperialism, how they subjugated many civilization, and eradicated cultures, languages, religions, and .... i am an iraninan born, with good knowledge of arabic, and islamic culture, i can give a talk and let them know how much these people are ignorant. they can go to www.faithfreedom.org any learn, rather than going and giving talks

No need to take their citizenship. Just as taxation prevents anybody from taking any initiative in business here, taxation can prevent these guys from taking this misguided initiative. If it works for one, why not the other? :-)

They Served - have you? I may not agree but I'll listen.

The only "traitors" I see are those who would remain silent whilst their government kills in their name. Israel is not immune from criticism. No one is. How the world tires of the Israeli excuse-nicks. Why aren't there more individuals like this prepared to speak out? The cries of "traitor" are repulsive.

Is'nt that sweet coming from a Brit,a people that brutally colonized a good portion of the world

I am really not sure why a group which goes around bad mouthing Israel would even call itself 'Jewish'. These people essentially seek Israel’s destruction and automatically endorse the enemies of Israel in all things. They oppose every conceivable act of Israeli self-defense, other than total capitulation. Israeli leftists hopped aboard the same Israel bashing bandwagon pulled by anti Zionists, anti Semites, and Arab fascists all over the planet. Suddenly their country was, in their eyes, an evil, colonialist, militarist monstrosity. The sad part is they receive their funding from very hostile Anti Israeli sources such as the European Union. The saddest part of all is they never learn from the failures of their policies and “ideas.” Every failure is explained away by the fact that their policies were not applied thoroughly enough. Some people just never learn, do they.

treat Christians in Bethlehem and Nazareth. Dunce.

when is Hizbullah and the crazy man nasrallah coming to a city in the USA near you. Maybe he can tell us what was done wrong by his corrupt organization. Think a little .... Have a nice day.

To #40 Nazareth is inside Israel, so the Palestinian Authority does not treat them in any way. Its Muslim population, however, has increased dramatically because many of the Palestinians who were ethnically cleansed from their villages in 1948 ended up in Nazareth. As for Bethlehem, the Christian population there has generally been very active in the anti occupation struggle; they may face some discrimination from Palestinian Muslims but agree that the occupation is their primary enemy. In fact, in the recent elections Hamas did very well among Christian Palestinians. And historically, Christians have probably played a disproportionately high role in the Palestinian struggle against Zionism. Prominent Palestinian Christian activists against the occupation include George Habash (founder of PFLP), Edward Said (scholar), Raja Shehadeh (human rights lawyer), Azmi Bishara (Israeli-Arab Knesset member), and many others.

Hey folks, it ought to be worth noting that Isael has been in a state of war with most of it's Arab neighbours for 60 years now and due to the fascist activity of the 'Liberal Left' and it's Islamist, compatriate propaganda machine, enormous numbers of Goyim and Muslims also harbour unfounded hate for the Jewish secular democracy. It is indeed a miracle of G-D that you are still around and surviving in a whirlepool of anti-semitic bile and distortion from individuals, ethnic groups and and nations alike. I live in a country that has gotten itself caught up in war with it's European neighbours and tens of other countries around the world over the past 2,000 years, and we're still here and telling everyone else what to say, do and how to act. What to do about the detractors of israel? Answer: Nothing. Apart from matching false logic and twisted argument with sound logic and straight talking we shouldn't really worry too much about them. By it's very existence and honourable behaviour, the Jewish State will, by nature of it's own conduct, be able to absorb empty racism and groundless criticism. Cast a glance at my own country's perfidious activities over the course of it's history and you'll see how easily it is to bamboozle the world with lies, distortion and hypocrisy. How much easier ithen it will be for Israel to tell the truth and shine as a beacon against the dark lies of enemy nations and their allies. Shalom Israel.

AS a very proud parent of a son who recently emigrated and is now preparing to train with Givati I am alarmed and upset by the actions of these "refuseniks".Surely we can do without this kind of negative publicity.Shame!

If the Combatants for Peace come to your city, go hear them. I did, and didn't hear anti-IDF or anti-Israel words, but rather heard an Israeli man and a Palestinian man talk about their commitment to their land and people leading them to try to stop the cycle of violence. They've committed to laying down their weapons, but they conitune to fight, by talking to each other and to anyone who will listen about their shared belief that the conflict can be solved non-violently.

The Combatants for Peace tour, like that of a previous Bereaved Families’ tour, promotes non-violence. Readers can access the websites of both groups to learn why it is in Israel’s best interests to salute rather than to criticize these patriots who understand that only through talking and negotiating can there be security and peace for two democracies, Israel, and its neighbor, a Palestinian state. By forsaking their military weapons the combatants are trying to save us all from what David Grossman has called the abyss.

I heard Elik Elhanan and Sulaiman Al Hamri from Combatants for Peace speak recently in Providence, and thought they were excellent. Their organization, and the Jewish group that sponsroed them, Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, do Israel an important service by opening up broader dialogue in the American Jewish community about the negative impact the Occupation has on Israel's security and democracy. It is possible to be strongly pro-Israel and also be in favor of ending the Occupation and promoting a negotiated resolution of the conflict. The discussion of these issues in the US should be as diverse and vigorous as those that occur in Israel, and should not be dampened by concerns about Israel's public image.

I saw this group in Atlanta when they passed through. It was a very uplifting experience. There was only the Israeli present, but the general message came through loud and clear: supporting the current government policies in the territories is doing more harm than good, and to say so is to be as pro-Israel as it gets. Like Israelis, American Jews are also overwhelmingly pro-Israel and have a wide-range of views about how to ensure the future of the Jewish homeland. Many American Jews do not feel it is their place to question Israeli government policy. This is a grave mistake. First, no government should ever be given that amount of blind trust, whether it is the American, Israeli or Palestinian government. Secondly, as a non-Israeli Jew, I have to answer for what the government is doing in the territories, especially in places that actually report it in their media. There is no doubt that the attacks on Jews in France are anti-semitic acts, but a comparison of the number of these incidents pre and post September 2000 reveal that Israel's responses in the territories fan the flames of this kind of bigotry. I certainly share Combatants’ for Peace’s concerns about the negative impact of the occupation on Israel. And I certainly applaud Brit Tzedek for creating a space where one can be pro-Israel, and not be afraid to criticize government policy. I welcome any stimulation of discussion in Jewish communities; without this kind of discussion, both Israel and world Jewry would continue to head down the path of self-destruction.

as an american jew who attended one of the events in the combatants for peace tour, i found consul general dinach's remakrs bizarre. to say that the event was anti-idf or anti-israel would amaze all the people i spoke to after the event. we left witha feeling of hope that there is a way out of the israeli-palestinian conflict that will enable both peoples to live in peace. the israeli did criticize the occupation, based partly on his experiencein the army. as one of many jews in the u.s. and israel whot thinks the occupation is unwise and has put idf soldiers in a very bad position, i object to being labelled anti-israel. by the way, when the conference of presidents of major jewish organizations criticized the israeli policy of withdrawing from gaza, did the consul general send out a similar message? and when settler representatives, who over and over have made clear that their first loyalty is to the land of israel, not the state of israel, come to the u.s. to speak, does the consul general seek to combat their anti-israel message?

As a member of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom I am proud that our chapter was able to sponsor a presentation by Combatants for Peace at our community's JCC. The young Israeli man who spoke served bravely in the IDF and is now, just as bravely, speaking out for a better future for his country. His love and devotion to Israel was clear, as was his awareness that Israel can only have a secure and peaceful future by negotiating with the Palestinians for a just two-state solution to their 60 year conflict. I think Israel can take pride that, despite its fears and challenges, it has remained a democratic and open society, allowing for the free expression of diverse views. And, it can also take pride that their free society has raised young Israeli citizens like the one I heard speak for Combatants for Peace. They are a credit to their country and to its educational system.

I was at the Brit Tsedek session at Wayne State in Detroit on January 22 from 2 to 4 pm. It was attended by about 100 students. The atmosphere was sober, and dignified. The speakers were objective and informative.

I got to listen to these people talk and was moved by their love for their people and their countries. They spoke with mutual respect and of the need to work together, to recognize one another and with hope for a better future for all. They have given up violence as futile and are seeking ways for all of us to have a better world.