Organisers of a Christmas carol concert being held in a famous church have been condemned for rewriting traditional verses to attack Israel.

Far from bringing tidings of comfort and joy, the participants will instead sing about 'war crimes', 'assassinations' and the 'oppression' of Palestinians.

The concert, which has been organised by anti-Israeli campaigners, is due to take place on Wednesday at St James's, Piccadilly, a Christopher Wren-designed church in Central London.

Its critics include the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, who said that the rewriting of much-loved traditional carols for such partisan political purposes was deeply offensive.

The reworked carols include favourites such as O Come All Ye Faithful, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, The Holly And The Ivy and Hark The Herald Angels Sing.

Even The Twelve Days Of Christmas gets the treatment. A revised opening verse of While Shepherds Watched goes: 'While shepherds watched their flocks by night, All seated on the ground, Some occupying soldiers came and bulldozed all around.'

The event, called Bethlehem Now: Nine Alternative Lessons And Carols For Palestine, has been organised by Jews For Boycotting Israeli Goods, a group of secular British Jews opposed to Israeli policies.

It has been approved by the rector of St James's, the Rev Charles Hedley, who said he thought that Christmas was a good time for Jews and Christians to co-operate in a bid to 'address the need for peace and reconciliation'. [How helpful!]

Bruce Kent, a former Roman Catholic priest and prominent peace campaigner who will read one of the lessons, said: 'I think it is perfectly reasonable for carols to be rewritten in this way.

'I am fed up with sugary religion - the baby Jesus sitting in his stable and all that stuff.'...