January 20, 2007

Two ex-combatants in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appeared in  the Capital Region Saturday to urge leaders to find a peaceful solution in the area.

Elik Elhanan and Sulaiman Al Hamri, who founded the Combatants for  Peace' two years ago, visited Temple Berith Sholom in Troy to  promote their ideas and answer questions. The group is made up of people once active in fighting who've decided to put down their guns and fight for peace instead.

 Troy is one of 22 cities they've visited  to voice their message. They're calling for a Palestinian state with its capital in East  Jerusalem, in addition to the state of Israel.

 "I realize this is a political struggle and not a military struggle, so the solution should be political and not militant," said former Israeli soldier Elhanan. "The time is now to say no to the violence, no to the cycle of violence in Palestine and Israel."