If this report is true, what a shame. Clear evidence that being good at physics on whatever level does not translate into morality and common sense. What a shame that Hawkings has chosen to besmirch is reputation this way. It won't be forgotten.

This is the result of our not claiming our homeland and instead fighting a sectorial war of religious-secular and reform-orthodox. We have to change the principals and staff of our universities base our approach to the conflict and foreign policy based on our just claim to our homeland and prepare for whatever consequences.

With all their brilliance in physics, physicists can be ignoramuses and worse when it comes to ethics and politics. Niels Bohr never forgave Heisenberg for continuing to support Hitler’s efforts to build the atom bomb. I wonder if Stephen Hawking ever read Article 7 of the Hamas Charter, which reads: http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/1609.htm "The hour of judgment shall not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them, so that the Jews hide behind trees and stones, and each tree and stone will say: 'Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him,' except for the Gharqad tree, for it is the tree of the Jews." Article 7 is taken from Hadith Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 177 and quotes the Prophet Muhammad: http://www.hadithcollection.com/sahihbukhari/85/3715-sahih-bukhari-volume-004-book-052-hadith-number-177.html Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. "O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him." Stephen Hawking apparently has no clue whom he is supporting or could not care less what they stand for. Which is it?

He does not understand anything about middle east.

The Palestinian lobby cynically manipulates a famous person who is clearly disfunctional in his senses and mental capacities, into serving as a mouthpiece for their Israel-bashing propaganda. Shame on them.

I get it, we're all upset, but let's not degrade Israel's image further by making jabs at him (still one of the most brilliant minds alive, even if he is misguided here), or even worse, resorting to crude wheelchair jokes.

Too bad .. He actually had some good ideas. But this just makes him look dumb.

Hawking may have a high IQ but he certainly isn't an intelligent and informed man. Warm regards, Gregg Bowman

a man like hawking should stay out of politics of which he knows nothing. he should continue to pursue science of which he knows a lot.

He sacrificed his professional judgement to appease apologists for terror. The conference will go on without him and he'll be left out. The professor believes it's OK for Palestinians to fire 85 kassam rockets per day at Israeli civilians but when Israel fired back because the Palestinians refused to stop terror, that's out of proportion.

The religeos hatred of the Arabs for Israel is the real disproportionate action in the ME. stephen will miss out on important discussions with Israeli scientists. Can Islamic scientists compensate for that?

Good, now Hawkins will have time to visit the murdered Syrians instead. Or maybe even take a trip to Darfur or Tibet. Oh, I forgot. Neither Assad nor the Chinese to name just a few are Jewish. It seems, Prof Hawkins, that 'Maths' IQ and Emotional IQ may be inversely related.

Not to be able to meet the international group of open, highly educated intellectuals from all over the world to share their different opinions about several subjects. This scientist decided to give in to the dictations of the circle of the closed minds. Sad for him.

When a leading scientist has the good sense to boycott Israel because of its policies, the world should take note and applaud him. But to Peres and the majority of Israelis, they won't understand why he is taking this stance.

I see Hawking has taken up the anti- semitic cause like so many others. I have never heard of him standing up for the rights of women who are treated worse than animals in many Arab countries nor has Mr Hawking championed the rights of homo sexuals in these countries. Not to worry Steven, Israel hardly needs the likes of you.

Especially brilliant minds unfortunately. How can any of these people and so called intellectuals compare an army accross the border from Israel which fire at its civilians and kidnap its soldiers not expect reprisals?? The fact that these cowards put their woman and children infront of their soldiers somehow never finds its way into the news and bizarrely, these philistine sympathisers never believe is possible because we in the "west" cannot fathom a human being could do such unspeakable things. Well, the arabs are not westernised in their thinking and thus happily shield themselves with woman and children. When these "intellectuals" start seeing that then the attitude to the philistines and islamists will change!!

Here you have a die-hard atheist, lending support to the most fascist, fundamentalist movement on earth, namely Islam. Who bases their entire justification for violence and hatred on historical lies and fear. Which only proves that academic achievement is not a sign of moral integrity or wisdom. Like the rest of the degenerate in-crowd representing the world today, Hawkins just made himself a new member.

His name would not even of been mention fine would of be going to israel Good advertising Cheap strategies

He is concerned about the Israelis treat the Pals..Perhaps he can say a few words about how the Arabs treat their fellow Arabs? First Google recognizes Palestine and now Hawking. I am not impressed or moved.

Thanks for that thought. You've capsulized our greatest need in one phrase: "claiming our homeland". We needn't apologize for ourselves any more nor even seek to explain ourselves. The world will come to respect us once again (not "love" us) when we flatly state that we are Jews and that Eretz Yisrael belongs, and has always belonged, to us.

appointment, really. Not that it surprises: intellect and wisdom are two apparently unconnected things. I hope his theories turn into fairy tales.javascript: save()

SHAME ON HIM !

It is a shame that Hawking falls in the trap of these antisemitic propaganda. However, he is not the big scientist people believe him to be. He is just one of many. His academic achievements are do not match his popularity. Today he is more of a science popstar. Whatever scientists like Hawking believe to achieve - the academic productivity of Israel is outstanding and cannot be boycotted.