I'm not the only former Jew who disagrees with Israeli policies about Palestinians. Those like Irwin Cottler can label me an anti-Semitic Jew if they wish; that's only a label and means nothing (except to betray the small mind that uses it).

First and foremost, I am a human being. Being a Jew is a distant second to being human.

Zionism is not a religion; it is a political idea. I used to agree with it and lived for 20 months in kibbutzim as a young person, working and learning Hebrew to prove it. But since the Israeli massacres in Lebanon and Gaza, I have withdrawn all my support from Israel. I now treat that country as a pariah state: I will not set foot in it until their leaders (and citizens) show proof that they have learned from their sad and tragic history.

There is a saying, "...for out of Zion the light will shine"; I don't have it exactly. There is no light from the State of Israel, only darkness. I am ashamed ever to have been Jewish.

I am also ashamed of being Canadian, for Canada blindly falls into lock-step with the United States regarding Israel. Neither country encourages Israel to be humanitarian with regard to the Palestinians. They support second-rate citizenship within Israel for the Palestinians and the reticence of Israel to talk with its "enemies": Hamas and Hezbolla. To make peace, one must talk with one's enemies.