Although ISM are fully aware of the propoganda job their doing I don't believe these naive volunteers mean to deliberately collaborate and support Arab terrorism. Individually they want to do something to help others and add meaning to their lives but unfortunately they only know one side of the story, and just dont understand the history and politics of the region. You can clearly see this if you read ISM comments posted on Indymedia.

I dont believe this allegation.
I'll tell you why.

Israel does not let you in if you say you are a peace activist. Absolutely not. There is no question of a bomber tricking his way in by making such a claim - he would never get in.

And I'll give you some evidence. Look at
 http://www.palsolidarity.org/travelingtopalestine.htm
on the ISM website. This gives practical advice to peace activists on how to get into Israel. I quote:

"There are three ways to come to Palestine -- via the Ben Gurion airport - Tel Aviv, via Amman, Jordan or via Egypt.  Many people are afraid to come via Tel Aviv because Palestinian sympathizers are being denied entry into the country.  We believe that it's less suspicious if you come through Israel but you have to have a really good story about why you are coming, and must not mention anything about ISM or knowing, liking or planning to visit Palestinians.  You must play it as though your visit is for other, Israel-based reasons, like tourism, religion, visiting an Israeli friend, etc.  So do a little bit of research and put together a story that you'll be able to answer questions about.  For example, if you say you are visiting a friend in Jerusalem, you should have the name and phone number of a real Israeli person.  If you are coming for religious purposes, have a book or two on religion and travel in Israel;  have an itinerary, etc........

.......All in all, it's much easier to fly right into Tel Aviv.  The main benefit of coming through Jordan or Egypt is that they are a little less stringent at the border.  They're pretty strict and suspicious at the airport, though quite a few people get lucky and most of our activists get in as long as they play it right."

Why these people post such advice on the open internet I do not know, but there it is for all to see.

I think this establishes beyond doubt that no ill-intentioned person could possibly gain any advantage on entry by claiming to be a peace activist. They cannot have done so. If they had, they would not have got in.

This being the case, this allegation can only be an attempt to deflect criticism from the recent spate of killings of activists, to indirectly smear the ISM, and to help justify the recent announcement that any suspected activist will be arrested and deported. Until now they were not arrested once they were in. Here is the news item

 http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=289384&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y

It wrongly gives the impression that until now activists were given entry permission. The disproof is above.

So I am afraid again we must take this posting as another disinformation contribution from the GIPM. Great Israeli Propaganda Machine.

hey dan, anyone who passes them off as a 'peace activist' trying to get into israel, far from getting 'easy entry', is on the first flight back home. real ISM activists have to pass themselves off as something else (an arms dealer maybe). One can only wander why on earth such a well informed fellow as yourself was unaware of the fact that plenty of these dangerous pests have already been refused entry. So perhaps you could offer a little supporting evidence for your claims about the ISM collaborating with and supporting arab terrorism, or perhaps not, as there isn't any. And i would say that it is the actions of the Israeli army that ultimately do most violence to the Israeli peoplebut not nearly so much violence as is done to ordinary Palestinians - defenceless men, women, old and,
especially, the young.

Oh those poor soldiers, with only guns and hard hats to fend off those aggresive 'peace activists', shouting at them threw the doors of houses they have occupied, standing in their way when they're shooting at kids armed with rocks, brazenly walking in the open streets when they are trying to enforce those all night and all day curfews... Or is it that the presence of unarmed internationals leaves them feeling exposed and ashamed, that their crimes may be reported to the wider world?

Personally, i can't stand the term 'peace activist', but what the ISM is about is a little more subtle than that. To decipher your comments, i take it you don't like it when some responsibly minded people start exposing the the brutal nature of a long standing military occupation. Got any vested interests? As for you Ben, you're just a waste of space mate.

A much much easier and even grand way of entering Israel is to say that you are a criminal but will contribute to israel's coffer and ZioNazi efforts.

Israel welcomes and harbours criminals.

Robert Maxwell, the biggest thief of Britain and murderer of pensioners did that.

When he died Israel gave him a state funeral.

If you have lots of money (never mind from what, how... no questions asked). Organise a bogus charity and send money t0 Israel.

There, a percentage will be cut from your money (only large sums, I'm afraid...) and the rest of your money can even be made to surface in Switzerland for you.

A laundry is attached to the service too.

Service is available to certain categories of people with money they don't want t0 disappear.

People helping to contribute to Israel's bankrupt economy can expect great welcome.

People using the service can also expect respect from politicians in their country of residence who give them peerages and honours (if they contribute too to their coffers).

Israel's military occupation has lasted as long as Yasser Arafat, who sought Israel's destruction regardless of occupation or not, has been the one and only leader of the Palestinians. A coincidence?

WHy would any sane people suggest that Israel should end their occupation if all it means is that Arafat and Hamas and Islamic Jihad will get control of the place and build their state up to eventually make full war on Israel?

LOGICAL, SANE people know that Israel should end their occupation ONLY WHEN there are sane, civil, reasonable moderate palestinian leaders who are not crazed religious extremists to actually run Palestine. Israel should end the occupation when RESPONSIBLE people are in charge of palestine and can grow the state into one that will be normal and civil and nice and not eventually take war actions that lead to hoards of people dying.

Those of you who care about the safety of israelis AND palestinians, what would you rather have, palestine be under control of sick terrorists who eventually create war that results in TONS of israelis AND/OR palestinians dying... OR, palestine be under control of NORMAL NON-CRAZED SANE RATIONAL people who will lead palestine to be an ok state that never has full war with israel?

Israel has peace agreements with egypt and jordan. Israel never got them with iran or iraq or syria or lebanon because those places are run by friggin nutcases. Israel would be HAPPY to have palestine as a state to exist and have normal relations with provided the guys controlling the place are normal sane human beings, and not crazed extremists who are WILLING to make peace but in the back of their minds are insane enough to think that stabbing jewish women in the stomach is what makes allah love them more.

Organise a study group to Israel.
The best kind should be "authoritative" or even a parliamentary group.

Many are organised every year and those which are prepared to do work rubbishing Israel's critics or act as sycophants for Israel would be very welcome - all expenses paid, and future career taken cared of... etc.

Join one of these groups (sorry, you must have poodle credentials) and you can be guaranteed entry and great treatment by Israel.

>>>

Dem "nutcases" countries want agreements too but the USA which bribes Egypt and Jordan with loadsamoney cannot manipulate the "nutcase" countries with their bribes.

Look at the figures of megamoney handed out, listen to the poodle whines, and see how the dogs snap to attention when the master orders and you will not need a shrink yourself, sunshine!!!

(Jordan and Egypt even subcontract tortures from the USA - goes to show how low the dogs have to sink!!!)

Well. On the 40s British and Americans (The new emergent Nazis untill now,and still )Just Took the Jews and put them on top of the Ancient Palestinian homeland. The more I learn I see the more conflicts and destruction on the world in recent years ,and today,like :Israel-Palestine,South Africa,India-Pakistan,Irak and Middle East,Zimbawe, Etc... Come from ex-british colonies,or protectorates.And the desarray,caotic,unnatural and disconsidered way Britain lived All those different peoples and their Countries´s BORDERS(In a !HURRY! just during the humiliating FALL of the so called british empire)
So obviously England had (and still) spread the seeds for this current CAOTIC world.And on top of that Britain (Now, just a little insignificant Island)and its Dangerous (Frankenstein like) SON,the monstruous US. Still now want to play God and become the owners of the entire world.
(Sorry I mean the Governments of UK an US,Not its People)
A solution therefore could be; England to give part of its
territory to the Israelites(to set Israel in England) and
so live the palestine land FREE and in PEACE at Last as it was before the british intrusion many years ago.

Or the pocket guide to Dan's thinking[sic];

We are totally innocent and have never done anything wrong.

All resistance is terrorism.

All Palestinians love killing and are terrorists.

All who support Palestinians are terrorists.

In a nutshell [quite literally].

No. There are many palestinians who want peace and regularity. There are many who want to fight only to end the occupation. But the NUMBER ONE PROBLEM is that there are also tens of thousans of palestinians, in hamas, islamic jihad, etc., who dream of killing every jew they can get at until israel disappears. They are against israel existing. That's why they attack as hard as they can especially when peace talks are going on. That's why in 2000 and 2001 every time Israel withdrew from palestinian towns and barely occupied more than 10% of "palestinian land." attacks against israel INCREASED instead of slowing down.

Sabotaging peace plans is a game at which Hamas and co excel, but the real masters are the likudniks (Sharon and his horrible lackeys). Ever noticed how assassinations (i.e. murder - generally involving the deaths of innocent bystanders, ergo exactly the same as a hamas bombing of a restaurant, nightclub, pizzeria - the only difference being the amount of coverage they get on CNN) are often carefully timed to coincide with a Hamas ceasefire declaration, a pronouncement by Arafat or the publication of a peace plan/road map? Just to stoke the embers a little bit and hopefully provoke a reaction from Palestinian extremists.

In essence, Sharon and Hamas live a fairly symbiotic relationship. Sharon provides Hamas with (misguided) reasons to hate Israelis, while Hamas provide Sharon with a propaganda weapon with which he (and his slimy sympathisers around the globe) can tar all Palestinians with the same "insane Jew-murdering terrorist" brush. This way, both sides can make misery for everybody, the status quo can be preserved and the spiral of hate goes on and on.

If War Criminal Sharon gave peace a chance and the IDF stopped muredering civilians there would not be the terrible bloodshed there is now.

ISM=I(diots)S(upporting)M(urderers) of Jews