The Boston Globe
April 27, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Mideast talks need greater diligence
By Stan Fleishman
I have been futilely searching the Globe daily for some small ember that would indicate that the flame of hope for Mideast peace, lighted at the Annapolis Conference, has not yet been extinguished. [Read More]

The National Journal
April 16, 2008
Pushing Israel From Both Sides
By Julie Kosterlitz
What does it mean to be pro-Israel? With the Bush administration's 11th-hour push for renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the American Jewish community has renewed its soul-searching on this question. [Read More]

The Washington Independent
April 15, 2008
Reframing the Israel Debate
By Spencer Ackerman
Beginning today, a band of liberal Jews intends to transform the terms of the American debate over Israel -- among the most delicate, controversial and combustible topics in politics. And right on time for Passover, the Jewish holiday marking deliverance from bondage .[Read More]

JTA
April 15, 2008
Doves launch J Street initiative
By Ron Kampeas
After years of on-and-off policy wars with the pro-Israel establishment, liberal Jewish advocates for a more aggressive U.S. posture in Middle East peacemaking are taking the fight to the street. K Street, that is. [Read More]

JTA
April 15, 2008
Obama's Jewish surrogate wants balance, pressure in peacemaking
By Ron Kampeas
In recent weeks the Obama campaign has sought to bolster its outreach to Jewish voters with a big name: Daniel Kurtzer, the first Jewish U.S ambassador to Egypt and the first Orthodox Jew to serve as envoy to Israel. [Read More]

The Jewish Advocate
April 11, 2008
Letter to the Editor: A Sustainable Peace Treaty
By Steve Masters
Rick Blumsack suggested I was unrealistic to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, because Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cannot be trusted. I understand fears, as does anyone who loves Israel, but let us consider the facts. [Read More]

The Jewish Advocate
April 11, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Channel Anger Into Change
By Hanna Siniora
As a Palestinian who recently visited your country, I can understand the anger and impatience in some of the letters in this publication, including Rick Blumsack’s letter in the March 21 edition, “No Case for a Cease Fire.” The long-standing conflict between Palestinians and Israelis has been a disaster for Jews and Arabs alike, and of late the level of danger indeed has risen.[Read More]

The Jewish Daily Forward
April 3, 2008
Dovish Lobbying Group Set To Debut
By Nathan Guttman
Although the organizers behind a nascent dovish pro-Israel group known as the J Street Project have steadfastly remained silent ahead of an expected formal launch in mid-April, details have emerged over the past week that paint a clear picture of the group’s goals. [Read More]

In These Times
April 1, 2008
Secular Jews and the ‘Jewish State’
By Ralph Seliger
American Jews remain, along with African Americans, the most left-leaning ethnic community in the country. While many support the State of Israel uncritically, some Jews express their concern for Israel’s welfare by joining organizations and activities that challenge certain policies and promote social change. [Read More]

The Jewish Advocate
March 31, 2008
Peace is still within reach
By Donna Spiegelman
Gershon Baskin and Hanna Siniora, the Israeli and Palestinian co-directors of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI), recently told an audience of 120 at Temple Israel in Boston that “a framework agreement for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is within reach.” [Read More]

The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California
March 21, 2008
Can we talk?: Parleys with Hamas aren’t unusual for activists
By Joe Eskenazi
When Hanna Siniora or Gershon Baskin’s phones rings late at night — or even at 3 a.m., Hillary Clinton-style — they never know who’ll be on the other end. [Read More]

The Jewish Voice and Herald
March 21, 2008
Breaking the Silence soldiers tou r U.S.
By Mary Korr
Tel Aviv native Oded Na’aman was an idealist when he entered the Israeli Army during the Second Intifada. His experiences, however, left him numbed, confused, and silent — until he joined Breaking the Silence, a forum for former combat veterans. [Read More]

The Jewish Advocate
March 21, 2008
Op/Ed: The case for a ceasefire
By Steve Masters
Supporters of Israel are living through painful days. With Israeli-Hamas hostilities in Gaza, and the massacre of eight yeshiva students in Jerusalem, many pin their hopes for conflict resolution on Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority. [Read More]

Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle
March 14, 2008
Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is possible
By Ghaith al-Omari and Steve Masters
Grim news continues to come from the Middle East: Palestinian rockets, Israeli incursions, people running for their lives on both sides.The images of such harsh realities have come to define the conflict, and often serve to polarize people of goodwill who truly want peace. [Read More]

The Atlanta Jewish Times
March 14, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Hope for Peace
By Jan Jaben-Eilon
Atlanta’s Limmud offered the Jewish community an assortment of speakers and presenters, most of who were from our own community. But not all.
Thanks to Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, two speakers came all the way from Jerusalem to share their insights into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [Read More]

Voicesforpeace.blogspot.com
March 11, 2008
"Breaking the Silence" and "Wheels of Justice" speaking tours are underway
Two important speakers' tours are underway, and I have neglected to publicize them. There is still time to make a connection with these witnesses. Brit Tzedek has organized the "Breaking the Silence" tour. "Wheels of Justice" with Mazin Qumsiyeh and other speakers is making its way through western US cities. [Read More]

The Jewish Advocate
March 6, 2008
'Breaking the Silence' comes to Harvard Hillel
By Lorne Bell
No military unit is better equipped and trained to protect the Jewish homeland’s borders than the Israel Defense Forces. But guarding against invaders and terrorists from the outside is only part of the mission of Israel’s young soldiers. [Read More]

The Bangor Daily News
March 3, 2008
Rockland, Speaker: Israeli-Palestinian peace a matter of perspective
By Walter Griffin
Finding a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict might be possible if each side looked at its differences from the perspective of the other. That was the observation made by Dr. Aaron Ahuvia of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, the Jewish American Alliance for Justice and Peace, during a talk at Adas Yoshuron Synagogue on Sunday. Once one learns to understand an adversary’s mind, one can hope to win his heart, he said. [Read More]

The Jewish Advocate
March 3, 2008
Op/Ed: A Presidential Peacemaker
By Gershon Baskin
The upcoming U.S. elections won't affect Israelis and Palestinians as they do American citizens - yet it's undeniable that America's choice for president will have an enormous impact on the lives and struggles of people in the Middle East. [Read More]

Daily Hampshire Gazzette
March 3, 2008
U.S. can help forge Mideast peace
By Gerson Baskin and Hanna Siniora
The upcoming U.S. elections won't affect Israelis and Palestinians as they do American citizens - yet it's undeniable that America's choice for president will have an enormous impact on the lives and struggles of people in the Middle East. [Read More]

The Jewish Daily Forward
February 28, 2008
Photo Essay
Breaking the Silence, a group of Israeli army veterans dedicated to public education about the effect of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, is hosting exhibitions this month in Philadelphia and Boston of images photographed by Israeli soldiers during active duty in the West
Bank. [Read More]

JTA
February 26, 2008
"Breaking the Silence" on Israel's occupation
An Israeli veterans group will tour the U.S. East Coast to talk about the moral price of Israel's occupation of the West Bank. [Read More]

Wickedlocal.com
February 19, 2008
The future of the Mideast peace process
Gershon Baskin and Hanna Siniora of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information will speak Monday, March 3, 7:30 p.m., at Temple Israel, 477 Longwood Ave., on the Brookline/Boston line. They will discuss whether the peace process is at a dead end, or headed toward success. [Read More]

The Jewish Review
February 16, 2008
Op/Ed: Western Negev experience is only a part of the story
By Joel Glick and Sandy Polishuk
Israel is almost 60, a living testament to the Jewish people’s steadfastness and ingenuity, and our ability to overcome adversity, time and again. It’s a source of great sorrow among American Jews that the struggle continues. On a recent trip to Israel, Robert Horenstein was able to view up close the suffering of Israelis in the western Negev. [Read More]

The Jewish Journal
February 15, 2008
Whither the Left?
By Amy Klein
When, after seven years of violence, President George W. Bush brought the Israelis and Palestinians together last November to resume peace talks at Annapolis, right-wing groups in America and Israel mobilized their members in protest. The unified message: Jerusalem should not be divided. [Read More]

The Jewish Daily Forward
February 5, 2008
Peace at the Caucuses
By Marissa Brostoff
Allan Abrams, chair of the Kansas City chapter of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, a left-leaning Jewish advocacy group, arrived at his Kansas caucus prepared to present a resolution calling for the United States “to actively and persistently engage in the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” [Read More]

The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California
February 1, 2008
Op/Ed: Next year may be too late for peace
By Susie Coliver and Bob Herman
The time is now to conclude an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Next year may be too late. We spent the past week in Israel and the Palestinian territories as participants in a symposium sponsored by Brit Tzedek v’Shalom and Meretz USA. [Read More]

The Jewish Press
February 2008
Letter to the Editor: Concern for Israel
By Molly Freeman
Congratulations to j. for placing so prominently the comprehensive and astute account by Susie Coliver and Bob Herman of their recent trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Their eloquent letter expresses the deep concern for Israel that drives Brit Tzedek V’Shalom to educate and advocate with members of Congress, the administration and within our Jewish communities a sense of great urgency for the U.S. to play a strong role in bringing the parties to negotiate a just peace so that two states may live side by side. [Read More]

The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
January - February, 2008
Congressional Letter Provided Positive Backdrop to Annapolis Conference
By Shirl McArthur
In a rare display of congressional constructiveness, the Nov. 26-27 Annapolis conference was preceded by a Nov. 19 bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, originated by Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) and Charles Boustany (R-LA) and signed by 133 other House members. [Read More]

The Jewish Advocate
January 31, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Story Headline Is Misleading
The headline of your recent article about Barack Obama is a perfect example of the rumor-filled and fear-based messages that have been circulating among Jewish groups online with the intent of undermining support for his candidacy among American Jews. [Read More]

The Philadelphia Inquirer
January 29, 2008
Op/Ed: Last chance for two states?
By Steve Masters
I recently returned from leading a delegation to Israel and the West Bank whose mission was to express American Jewish support for a negotiated two-state resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Given news reports about recently renewed diplomatic efforts, you might think the trip was almost unnecessary. [Read More]

The Jewish Advocate
January 24, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Peace Process Must Move On
By Stan Fleischman
Paul Sassieni’s “Time for a deep breath” (Jan. 11) rightly points out numerous roadblocks on the road to peace.After seven years of inaction and missteps on both sides – despite Sassieni’s insistence that Israel is wholly blameless, and Israel’s neighbors wholly at fault – it’s easy to be skeptical. [Read More]

The Atlanta Jewish Times
January 21, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Gift of Peace
By Jan Jaben-Eilon
I just returned from Israel, where I had an opportunity to get a sense of the feeling on the ground about the "peace process" and President Bush's trip to Jerusalem. [Read More]

The Jerusalem Report
January 21, 2008
Letter to the Editor: From Fringe to Mainstream
By Steve Masters
We were very pleased to see your coverage of our presence at the Annapolis conference "Fringe Theater at Annapolis," (Dec. 24). The organizations that came out that day in support of a return to substantive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians represent the 87% of American Jews who say they support a two-state solution to the conflict. [Read More]

The Philadelphia Inquirer
January 19, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Israeli-Syria Peace
By Rabbi Marcia Prager
I was very happy to see Sen. Arlen Specter's commentary regarding the possibility of an Israeli-Syrian peace accord ("Israel-Syria treaty the key to Mideast peace," Jan. 14). [Read More]

KansasCity.com
January 11, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Bush, the Middle East
By Allan Abrams
On the heels of November’s Annapolis peace conference, President Bush is making his first-visit to Israel and the West Bank, intending to spur negotiations for a 2008 agreement. [Read More]

Special To The New York Jewish Week
January 9, 2008
Op/Ed: Let Us Not Remain The Jews Of Silence
By Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf and Steve Masters
The American Jewish community has been one of Israel’s most stalwart supporters since its foundation. We rightly see the Jewish state as our spiritual home, and in times of trouble, never fail to stand by Israel’s side. [Read More]

The Los Angeles Times
January 8, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Re "Bush will find Israel ambivalent"
By Claire Gorfinkel
After seven years in office, Bush is finally visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories in a bid to move the peace process forward. As an American Jew committed to a negotiated two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I believe that the American government should support efforts to bring about a peace agreement that would result in a secure Israel living alongside a viable Palestinian state.[Read More]

The Chicago Tribune
January 8, 2008
Op/Ed: Jewish support crucial now for Middle East peace
By Arnold Jacob Wolf
It was supposed to be different. President Bush is headed for Israel and the West Bank, on a trip meant to coincide with the first real progress toward peace after years of diplomatic neglect. The Annapolis peace conference, held in November, was to have been the start of something new. [Read More]

The Jewish Advocate
December 14, 2007
Op/Ed: A Chance for a Resolution
By Sidney Topol
The worsening situation in the Middle East during the past year has paradoxically cracked open a window for real movement toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [Read More]

JTA
November 30, 2007
Push for Annapolis summit triggers slew of Jewish lobbying efforts
By Ron Kampeas
The buildup to the U.S.-backed Israeli-Palestinian summit to be convened later this month in Annapolis, Md., has set off a flurry of lobbying efforts throughout the Jewish community. [Read More]

JTA
November 29, 2007
Letter to the Editor: We Must Keep Up Our Support
By Donna Spiegelman
On behalf of the Boston Chapter of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, I applaud the Jewish Community Relations Council's recent statement of unequivocal support for the upcoming Mideast peace conference. [Read More]

Jerusalem Post
November 28, 2007
Letter to the Editor: US Jews pro-peace
By Steve Masters
While the Jewish establishment seems to be suffering from a case of laryngitis on Annapolis, the pro-Israel, pro-peace majority has been getting our message across loud and clear. [Read More]

VelveteenRabbi.blogs.com
November 27, 2007
Hopes for peace
My teacher Reb Zalman has offered words about what he hopes to see coming out of the Annapolis conference beginning today: Envisioning Success in Annapolis. What I find most compelling is his insistence that the narrative has to be changed radically on both sides. That as long as Israel and the Palestinians each hold fast to their understandings of hurt and history, the situation can't change in the ways it needs to. [Read More]

Haaretz
November 26, 2007
Dovish U.S. Jewish groups plan pro-Annapolis Tuesday
A coalition of dovish American Jewish organizations are to hold a Rally for Israeli-Palestinian Peace to coincide with the Annapolis Middle East peace conference on Tuesday. [Read More]

Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
November 26, 2007
Brit Tzedek v'Shalom to Stage Rally in Support of Peace Conference
The Jewish peace group Brit Tzedek v'Shalom is staging a rally to support the Israeli/Palestinian peace talks which begin in Annapolis, Maryland, tomorrow. [Read More]

Baltimore Jewish Times
November 23, 2007
Op/Ed: Courage Of Convictions
By Rabbi Scott Weiner
Jews around the world are busily dusting off their menorahs and counting their Chanukah candles to prepare for our winter holiday. The central observance of Chanukkah concerns the miracle of one day’s supply of oil lasting for eight days, no small matter in the festival story. [Read More]

JTA
November 16, 2007
AIPAC stance irks donors
Two top donors to AIPAC, including casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, are raising objections over the pro-Israel lobby's support for a congressional letter that urges the Bush administration to increase assistance to the Palestinian Authority. [Read More]

JTA
November 11, 2007
Jewish Dems urge Palestinian Authority aid boost
Nine Jewish Democrats have signed onto a letter urging more U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority. They were among 89 lawmakers to sign. [Read More]

Foreign Policy in Focus
November 7, 2007
Dancing in the Earthquake
By Arthur Waskow
Under the crust of old assumptions and behaviors toward the Middle East, new visions are stirring. They are beginning to affect policy. These new responses can be roughly categorized as either "restoration" or "renewal," and both responses emerge within the boundaries of the traditional communities [Read More]

The News & Observer
November 2, 2007
Jewish group urges two-state solution
By Yonat Shimron
The president of a growing coalition of American Jews interested in advancing a negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will speak at a Durham synagogue. [Read More]

Forward
October 31, 2007
Carter’s Efforts To Mend Ties With Community Get Cold Shoulder
By Nathan Guttman
Jimmy Carter’s newest efforts to repair relations with the Jewish community were rebuffed not once but twice last week — and at the very highest levels.[Read More]

JTA
October 22, 2007
Ackerman, Boustany team on P.A. support
A Jewish congressman and an Arab-American colleague are soliciting signatures for a letter urging greater U.S. funding for Palestinian Authority reforms. [Read More]

Jerusalem Post
October 21, 2007
Bush: Riyadh working to fight terror
By Hilary Leila Krieger
US President George W. Bush certified on Friday that Saudi Arabia is cooperating with efforts to combat international terrorism, clearing the way for funds for democratization and women's empowerment to flow to the Persian Gulf power. [Read More]

The Berkeley Daily Planet
October 12, 2007
The Middle East: Of Torpedoes and New Voices
By Conn Hallinan
Bush administration neo-conservatives, allied with a group of U.S. senators, appear to have successfully torpedoed the upcoming Bush administration-sponsored Middle East peace conference. [Read More]

JTA
October 1, 2007
Group asks Bush to press Israel
A dovish pro-Israel group called on President Bush to press Israel to deal
with Hamas. [Read More]

Middle East Online
August 23, 2007
Reclaiming Christian values
Some churches and denominations in the United States have direct partner ties with Palestinian churches and to churches in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Israel. All feel a strong attachment to the Holy Land and long for peace and reconciliation with all members of the Abrahamic family of faiths - Jews, Christians and Muslims. [Read More]

The Ann Arbor News
August 22, 2007
Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace Means Commitment to Negotiations
With frustration mounting here and abroad over the Israeli Palestinian conflict, that old temptation – the “blame game” -- is getting louder. Unfortunately, it's a serious impediment to any potential resolution of the conflict. [Read More]

The Jewish Review
August 15, 2007
Rice told to talk to Hamas
Secretary Condoleezza Rice urged to contact Palestinians affiliated with Hamas to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. [Read More]

JTA
August 14, 2007
Rice urged to deal with Hamas
A dovish pro-Israel group urged Condoleezza Rice to contact Palestinians affiliated with Hamas to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. [Read More]

The Winchester Star
August 12, 2007
Letter to the Editor
Winchester residents work for positive change locally, nationally, and internationally. [Read More]

Washington Jewish Week
August 8, 2007
JCRC retracts call for action
Eric Fingerhut
A call to action on Mideast legislation and its retraction a day later by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington raised some eyebrows around the area last week, but the organization says it was simply a mistake. [Read More]

Washington Jewish Week
August 8, 2007
Tipping the Mideast Scales
Eric Fingerhut
At Brit Tzedek v'Shalom non-violence seminar, Rabbis for Human Rights promote nonviolent encounters [Read More]

St. Louis Jewish Light
August 8, 2007
'Combatants for Peace' will return
Mike Sherwin
A former platoon commander in the Israel Defense Forces and a Palestinian who has served time in an Israeli prison will come together for a study and discussion group. [Read More]

The Huffington Post
August 6, 2007
My Yearly Kos Diary
Dennis Perrin
Dennis Perrin comments on his trip and speech at the YearlyKos convention [Read More]

NY Jewish Week
July 27, 2007
U.S. Groups on Left and Right Setting Sights Beyond Bush's recent push.
James D. Besser
With skepticism about President Bush's new Mideast peace initiative at flood
tide, leaders of the Jewish left are quietly ramping up outreach to 2008
presidential contenders they hope will be more willing to engage in active
peacemaking in the region. [Read More]

The Chestnut Hill Local
July 19, 2007
Mt. Airy man heads national Jewish peace movement
Kristkin Pazulski
Steven David Masters of Mt. Airy has been named president of the national organization Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, a Jewish grassroots movement advocating for peace in Israel. [Read More]

Shalom Rav
July 11, 2007
Israel and the Arab League Pt. 2
Rabbi Brant Rosen
So if we American Jews think the peace process should be higher on our government’s priority list, there is something we can do. [Read More]

JTA
June 22, 2007
ZOA lobbies to isolate Iran, Abbas
The Zionist Organization of America lobbied Congress on isolating Iran and against funding the Palestinian Authority. [Read More]

JTA
June 22, 2007
Jewish spectrum of issues on display in meeting with Democratic senators
Ron Kampeas
The old saying "two Jews, three opinions" never rang truer than at a meeting this week between Jewish organizational leaders and Democratic senators. [Read More]

Jerusalem Post
June 19, 2007
Lobby group calls for ME envoy to push two-state solution
By Hilary Leila Krieger
Legislation calling for a Middle East envoy to promote a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the focus of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom's lobbying efforts during Tuesday's visit to Capitol Hill. [Read More]

JTA
June 15, 2007
Brit Tzedek to lobby during Olmert visit
A dovish pro-Israel group will lobby Congress next week during the meeting between President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. [Read More]

Kansas City Star
June 5, 2007
Six Day War
Allan Abrams
In the Six-Day War 40 years ago (June 5-10, 1967), Israel overwhelmingly defeated the armies of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, and then "occupied" huge swaths of new territory. Since then, hatred, fighting, and killing in the region has continued more or less unabated. [Read More]

Kansas City Jewish Chronicle
June 1, 2007
Seek Peace
Allan Abrams
Forty years after the 1967 Six-Day War and the beginning of the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, Israelis still live in fear, and neither they nor Palestinians have been spared bloodshed, destruction and heartbreak. [Read More]

JTA
May 25, 2007
Guidebook Encourages Talk of Occupation
Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, distributed a guide encouraging rabbis to talk about Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories. [Read More]

Jewish Advocate
May 18, 2007
A Glimpse of Future Peace
Stan Fleischman
Thank you for your coverage in the May 18 Advocate of "Israeli-Palestinian Peace: Forget It or Not Just Yet?" held at Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, sponsored by Brit Tzedek v'Shalom and the JCRC. [Read More]

Jewish Advocate
May 18, 2007
Reflection on a city divided
Rabbi Toba Spitzer
This week, many in Israel and in the Jewish community celebrated Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day. [Read More]

Jewish Advocate
May 17, 2007
Experts Paint Grim Picture: Speakers Urge Steps for Peace
Kristin Erekson
In a difficult discussion of Temple Beth Zion in Brookline last week, two experts on the Middle East painted a grim portrait of the situation overseas if a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not found soon. [Read More]

Jewish Voice and Herald
May 11, 2007
Mideast peace, a balancing act
Mary Korr
Israeli peace negotiator and policy analyst Daniel Levy, speaking the King's English, punched out a fusillade of Middle East facts, figures and analyses April 24 at Temple Beth-El. A London native, he made aliyah to Israel in 1991. [Read More]

Jewish Advocate
May 9, 2007
New context for peace
Rafi Dajani and Daniel Levy
Israel just marked its 59th birthday and like a typical baby boomer, she tends to vent her frustration at dreams not realized. [Read More]

Jewish World
April 12, 2007
Letter to the Editor
Jack Alexander
In a recent letter to The Jewish World, Jack Lauber again distorts the message of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom and attempts to smear us by linking us to anti-Zionist groups. We have responded in the past to his unfair charges. [Read More]

Jewish Week
March 23, 2007
How Far To Go In Limiting PA Aid?
James D. Besser
As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice heads back to the Middle East and rifts develop between Washington and its European allies over diplomacy with the new Palestinian unity government, Congress appears determined to hold the line on limiting aid to a Palestinian Authority still dominated by terrorists. [Read more]

Washington Jewish Week
March 22, 2007
The time has come to talk
Marcia Freedman and Diane Cantor
In the wake of six years of diplomatic neglect by the Bush administration, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has placed devastating pressure on the Israelis and Palestinians, daily endangering the lives of civilians and threatening to erupt into a regional war involving Israel's neighbors, as
foreshadowed by last summer's Lebanon war. [Read more]

Haaretz
March 22, 2007
Letter to the Editor: Most wars do not end with unconditional surrender, but with negotiations between the opposing sides in the middle.
James Adler
Of course Israel should negotiate. [Read More]

Jewish Advocate
March 16, 2007
Letter to the Editor: Textbooks Only a Symptom
Donna Spiegelman and Beth Wasserman
We would like to clarify some misunderstanding about the positions of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, a Jewish pro-Israel, pro-peace organization as expressed in a recent column [Read More]

Washington Jewish Week
March 15, 2007
Countering AIPAC
While thousands of American Israel Public Affairs Committee delegates traveled to Capitol Hill to advocate for tough sanctions on Iran and no negotiations with the Palestinian Authority until it renounces terror and recognizes Israel, two other groups were urging the opposite. [Read More]

JTA
March 14, 2007
Groups protest P.A. boycott letter
Some Jewish and Christian groups protested a "Dear Colleague" letter urging a continued boycott of the Palestinian Authority. Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, Americans for Peace Now and Churches for Middle East Peace protested the letter, which is being circulated for signature among U.S. senators by Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and John Ensign (R-Nev.), and will be sent to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. [Read More]

The Jewish Daily Forward
March 12, 2007
Aipac Urges U.S. To End Contacts With Palestinian Authority Critics Say Lobby Letter Would Stop Talks With Abbas, Moderates
Nathan Guttman
Thousands of pro-Israel activists in Washington this week are expected to urge lawmakers to sign a letter to the Bush administration calling for an end to all American contacts with members of the Palestinian Authority. [Read More]

Kansas City Star
March 6, 2007
AS I SEE IT: Criticism of Israel requires the proper context
By Allan Abrams
Andrea Whitmore's column ("Israel Wages a Policy of Deliberate Destruction," As I See It, 2/20/07) omitted context-adding perspective. First and foremost, without condoning Israeli actions that are considered by many to be excessive and counterproductive, Arab terrorism is the central factor permeating every aspect of Israel's security policy. This paramount fact in no way is negated by the additional fact that Arab anger, and hence terrorist acts, directed at Israel may be understandable. [Read More]

Jewish News Weekly of Northern California
February 23, 2007
Former enemies now on tour promoting peace
Alexandra J. Wall
By the time they reached the Bay Area, members of a group called "Combatants for Peace" were almost done with a 22-city speaking tour of North America. But not without firing up some controversy. [read more]

Forward
February 16, 2007
As Capitals Cautiously Greet Palestinian Deal, Israel’s Allies in D.C. Push for Pressuring Hamas
Nathan Guttman
Even as American and Israeli officials reserve judgment on the new Palestinian unity deal, some of Jerusalem's allies in Washington are opposing the Fatah-Hamas coalition government and pressing for the West to isolate it. [read more]

Jewish Journal
February 9, 2007
Former Israeli and Palestinian fighters push for peace -- together
Peter L. Rothholz
Two members of Combatants for Peace, a fledgling organization of some 250 former Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters, told a standing-room only audience at the Skirball Cultural Center Jan. 31 that there can be no military solution to the conflict between their two nations. [read more]

Yourcallradio.org
February 7, 2007
Can Soldiers Be Peacemakers?
Your Call Radio interviews Shimon Katz and Sulaiman Al Hamri. [listen here]

Haaretz
February 6, 2007
Who will bring peace back from the dead?
Bradley Buston
It took the Palestinians 40 years to become disillusioned with Fatah. It has taken them one year to become disaffected from Hamas. It took Israelis a matter of days to lose their belief in Ehud Olmert and Amir Peretz. Our leaders are, to a one, last in war, last in peace and last in the hearts of their countrymen. If peace is ever to be brought back from the dead, therefore, we must look elsewhere for the rescuers. [read more]

Daily Vanguard
February 6, 2007
Former Israeli, Palestinian combatants to speak at PSU
Sascha Krader
An Israeli and a Palestinian, both former combatants now touring the United States to advocate for a peaceful two-state resolution to the region's troubles, will be speaking at 3 p.m. today in the Multicultural Center in Smith Memorial Student Union. [read more]

Eugene Register Guard
February 5, 2007
Ex-fighters seek Mideast peace
Ellen Rifkin
From Iraq to Lebanon to the Israeli Occupied Territories, conflicts in the Middle East increasingly indicate the futility of armed struggle. But when repeated destruction only exacerbates grief and hatred, how can enemies find their way out of the cycle? Right here in Eugene, we have an opportunity to learn how some in the Middle East are doing just that. [read more]

JTA
February 2, 2007
Breaking News Israeli envoy blasts campus critics
An Israeli diplomat said it was “unfortunate” that Jewish groups sponsored a campus tour of Israeli soldiers who accuse the army of human-rights abuses. [read more]

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
February 1, 2007
'Combatants for Peace' aims to end annihilation
Sylvester Brown
The Children of Abraham co-sponsored Sunday's "Combatants for Peace" event,
along with Brit Tzedek v'Shalom (Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace) and
other groups. The Combatants for Peace movement began in 2005 in the Middle
East when Palestinians and Israelis grew tired of brandishing weapons at each
other. The group's logo shows two figures tossing aside their weapons and
walking toward each other with open arms. [read more]

St. Louis Jewish Light
February 1, 2007
Ex-combatants speak at CRC event
Mike Sherwin
What do a former IDF counterterrorism officer and a Palestinian activist and former prisoner in Israel have in common? They are both searching for peaceful solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinian Sulaiman Al Hamri and Israeli Shimon Katz came to St. Louis as a part of a 22-city tour by members of Combatants for Peace, a group advocating non-violent solutions to the Middle East conflict. [read more]

89.3 KPCC, Southern California Public Radio
February 1, 2007
Combatants For Peace
A former Israeli soldier and a former Palestinian combatant and prisoner share their thoughts and experiences of the conflict in the middle-east. Shimon Katz and Suleiman Al Hamri work with Combatants for Peace, a joint Israeli-Palestinian group, working for non-violent solutions to the struggle. Larry speaks with them about the non-military approach they believe is the only way to solve the ongoing situation. [listen here]

Columbia Missourian
January 31, 2007
Speaking out for peace
Cristi Parker
Ten-year-old Abir Aramin was on her way to buy candy January 19 when she was killed near her school in Jerusalem. She was the daughter of Bassam Aramin, a founder of Combatants for Peace, an Israeli-Palestinian organization committed to ending violence and establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel. [read more]

Jewish News Weekly
January 30, 2007
Forum on progressives’ anti-Semitism hits close to home for participants
Stacey Palevsky
A husband tells his wife he doesn’t see why Israel should exist. A teacher wants to know why a colleague’s presentation on Gaza is announced in the school bulletin but doesn’t know how to speak up. A man critical of Israel’s politics detests the label “self-hating Jew.” These were the topics at the forefront of “Finding Our Voice,” a conference Sunday organized by the Anti-Defamation League to help Jews in the Bay Area and elsewhere constructively address anti-Semitism within progressive organizations. [read more]

JTA
January 30, 2007
With P.A. in flames, Jewish leaders tell Rice it’s time for new peace push
Ron Kampeas
Condoleezza Rice may not have the pro-Israel lobbyists on her side in her latest plunge into Palestinian-Israeli peacemaking — but she has the supplicants. Religious leaders of three Jewish denominations have gone out of their way in recent weeks to express their support for Rice’s renewed engagement in the region. [read more]

90.7 KWMU, St. Louis Public Radio
January 29, 2007
Combatants for Peace
A discussion about a movement by a group of Israelis and Palestinians who have put aside violence to work for a peaceful negotiated solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. [listen here]

Columbia Missourian
January 29, 2007
Advocates to speak on struggle for peace
Cristi Parker
Two men, once enemies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, are now united in a struggle for peace. Shimon Katz, an Israeli, and Sulaiman Al Hamri, a Palestinian, are part of an organization called Combatants for Peace, founded by former Israeli and Palestinian fighters, that is committed to negotiating a non-violent solution to the conflict. [read more]

Atlanta Jewish Times
January 24, 2007
Ex-Soldier Argues For Aggressive Peace Push
Michael Jacobs
A former Israeli soldier brought of message of nonviolence and reconciliation to 200 people at an appearance sponsored by the Jewish peace group Brit Tzedek v'Shalom and Congregation Bet Haverim on Jan. 8. [read more]

WNYT
January 20, 2007
Israeli, Palestinian in area to promote peace
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. [read more]

Albany Time Union
January 20, 2007
From opposite sides, paths converge for peace
Danielle Furfaro
A decade ago, Elik Elhanan and Sulaiman Al Hamri were instruments in one of the longest raging conflicts in the world. Elhanan was a young Israeli soldier, fighting for the security of his country. Al Hamri was a Palestinian protester, battling for a country that no longer existed. [read more]

Atlanta Jewish Times
January 19, 2007
Why We Can't Escape the Carter Obsession
Michael Jacobs
Obsession. It made for a bad series of Calvin Klein perfume commercials years ago, and it generally doesn't make for a good newspaper. So I have to acknowledge concern about what could be considered the obsession of the Jewish Times the past two months: Jimmy Carter's book Palestine: Peace not Apartheid. [read more]

Providence Journal
January 19, 2007
Combatants for Peace
A former Israeli soldier, Elik Elhanan, and a former Palestinian combatant and prisoner, Sulaiman Al Hamri, will speak on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island, 401 Elmgrove  Ave., to advocate for nonviolent alternatives for achieving a  resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [read more]

Daily Hampshire Gazette
January 18, 2007
Israeli, Palestinian speak today on Mideast conflict
Mackenzie Issler
AMHERST - It would be hard to find a more unlikely pairing than the one that will take center stage tonight in Amherst and Friday at the Northampton High School: a former Israeli soldier whose sister was killed in a suicide bomb and a Palestinian activist who spent four years in an Israeli prison. And that, the two say, is why they hope their message of forging a new path for the Middle East carries some weight. [read more]

Jewish Review
January 15, 2007
Brit Tzedek defends stand on peace process in difficult times
Diane Balser & Carinne Luck
It is very difficult these days to be openly identified with peace efforts in the Middle East. Palestinian factions fight intermittently and militants often violate the Palestinian Authority's ceasefire with Israel, while Israel has conducted military operations in the West Bank and has announced plans for the establishment of a new settlement there. [read more]

Amherst Bulletin
January 12, 2007
Former foes join now for peace
Bob Dunn
Two former combatants from opposing sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will speak together in Amherst this month about why they now favor a peaceful resolution. Elik Elhanan, a former Israeli soldier, and Sulaiman Al Hamri, a former Palestinian freedom fighter and Israeli prisoner, are among the founders of Combatants for Peace, a year-old organization that advocates for non-violent methods for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [read more]

Mondo Weiss
January 11, 2007
At a Brooklyn Temple, An Israeli Veteran Tells of His Sister's Murder by a Suicide Bomber
Phillip Weiss
Last night Brit Tzedek, a group that opposes the Israel lobby from within the Jewish community, staged a presentation by two members of Combatants for Peace, an organization of former Israeli soldiers and Palestinian resistance fighters working for a two-state solution. About 60 people turned out in the basement of Beth Elohim, a Reform temple in Brooklyn. [read more]

Atlanta Journal-Constitution
January 9, 2007
Ex-Israeli soldier urges dialogue instead of fighting
Moni Basu
Elik Elhanan drove with fear into the heart of the Palestinian territories. The former Israeli soldier had never seen a Palestinian except down the barrel of a gun. Now he was about to meet face-to-face with former "terrorists" in an area that was off-limits to Israelis. Palestinian suicide bombers killed Elhanan's sister Smadar in downtown Jerusalem in 1997. She was 14. Innocent. Her life was brutally ended because she was Jewish. [read more]

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