Oren's comments are inexcusable. Nobody at J Street is "fooling around" with Israeli lives. Sadly, Oren's words are part of an escalation in inciteful rhetoric used by senior Israeli political figures against those who work for peace.

When Israeli Vice Premier Moshe Ya'alon called the Israeli Peace Now movement a "virus" this summer Israel's political establishment responded loudly and clearly.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu summoned Ya'alon to a face-to-face meeting, and issued a public rebuke, calling Ya'alon's comments "not acceptable, not in their content and not in their style, and they do not represent the government's position."

Netanyahu also stressed that "mutual respect and unity of the nation must be preserved. This is correct for all times, especially at this time."

Defense Minister Ehud Barak's response was simple and direct: "Peace Now is an important part of the peace camp and an integral part of the democratic dialogue in Israeli society," he said.

Ameinu President Ken Bob understands that J Street deserves no less following Oren's nasty rhetoric. In an open letter to the ambassador, he wrote:

Mr. Ambassador, regrettably your remarks belong to a worrying trend of limiting healthy debate. They also serve to delegitimize differing opinions about the best way to bring about an end to the conflict, and to ensure Israel's continued existence as a democratic nation at peace with its neighbors. Rather than engage in a dialogue with J Street to better understand its world view and positions, you dismissed it out of hand. We fear that adopting this approach will only lead to additional estrangement between American Jews and Israel.

J Street deserves to be treated respectfully. One doesn't have to agree with everything they say to recognize that they are a vital part of the American Jewish community and part of the dialogue that our community is having about Israel. One doesn't have to like them to demand that Oren change his tune. Anyone who cares about the relationship between American Jews and Israel should hope that an apology will be forthcoming.