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PRESBYTERIANS
DIVESTING FROM ISRAEL
"The decision to divest from
Israel was
passed by a resounding majority of 431 to 62."
Mid-East
Realities - MER - www.MiddleEast.Org - 22 July 2004:
Finally, one of the Christian denominations in the United States has
acted in a principled and courageous way. Will this "most censorious decision ever embraced by any
Christian denomination in the United States against Israel" just taken
by the American Presbyterian Church now open the door for others to
follow? Not likely in view of the severe constraints and fears most
of the Christian churches have grown used to. But even so the leaders
of the Presbyterian Church deserve considerable applause for finally
taking this important even if still mostly symbolic stand. That said
one wonders if they are prepared for what is likely to be a
furious backlash against them from the many groups associated with the
Israeli-Jewish lobby. There are now likely to be great and unrelenting
pressures to get the Presbyterians to change or amend their decision
one way or another. For Israel's supporters and enforcers know that
if the Presbyterians are not punished and made to pay a serious price
for what they have done there are actually many others now who might
just decide the time has come to act against Israel as well.
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Presbyterians divest themselves from Israel
By Nathan Guttman
WASHINGTON - The Presbyterian Church's 216th General Assembly caught
American Jewish organizations off guard and by surprise. The
Presbyterians have never concealed their criticism of Israeli policies
in the territories, but years of dialogue between Jews and
Presbyterians had created an impression of an understanding between the
communities.
Hence
U.S. Jewish leaders were astonished to find that the Presbyterian
Church has adopted the most censorious decisions ever embraced by any
Christian denomination in the United States against Israel.
The
Presbyterian Church has three million American members and is one of
the strongest denominations in the country. This time it did more than
issue declarations condemning Israel's occupation of the territories.
In a precedent setting decision, it took practical steps to halt
investments in Israel, and to discourage contacts with companies that
do business in Israel.
Divestment decisions regarding Israel
have in the past three years been reached by academic and research
bodies in the U.S., but these have mostly been small institutions with
limited economic clout. Their calls for divestment have had a marginal
economic impact. Now, for the first time, a significant religious
entity that controls large sums of money and commands the beliefs of
millions of followers has called for the imposition of economic
sanctions on Israel.
"By reaching this decision we want to make
sure that we are not investing in activities of the kind we are trying
to prevent. We see so much violence, and we want to assure ourselves
that we have nothing to do with it," said Jay Rock, coordinator for
Interfaith Relations at the Presbyterian church. Rock said the new
divestment policy is motivated by more than a desire to insulate and
detach Presbyterians from the violent Israeli-Palestinian dispute - his
church also has an affirmative desire to "make our voice heard about
the direction of Israeli policy."
The Presbyterian General
Assembly convenes once every two years. The recent meeting was held in
Richmond, Virginia. As is customary, a human rights survey was
presented at the assembly and the report accused Israel of human rights
violations in the territories.
The divestment proposal was
forwarded by a Presbyterian delegate from Florida. The assembly's
Peacemaking Committee confirmed the proposal, and brought it to the
floor of the assembly plenum for a vote. The decision to divest from
Israel was passed by a resounding majority of 431 to 62.
Tracking Caterpillar
Israeli delegates were not invited to speak at the Presbyterian General
Assembly. Rev. Mitri Raheb, from Bethlehem, appeared before the
delegates. This Bethlehem cleric urged the Presbyterians to sever
economic ties with Israel. He singled out the tractor manufacturer
Caterpillar, saying its products are used to raze Palestinian houses on
the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Sources in the Presbyterian Church
said this week that they do not know whether their church has
investments in Caterpillar.
The Presbyterian decision is
economically significant. Well-informed sources say the Presbyterian
Church commands more than seven billion dollars worth of financial
instruments and pension funds. Most of this money is invested in
companies and now, in keeping with the divestment decision,
Presbyterian delegates will review each company's records to ascertain
whether it has ties with Israel.
According to the General
Assembly decision, any company which earns more than $1 million
annually as a result of investments in Israel, or which invests more
than $1 million a year in Israel, will be entered on a blacklist
prepared for the church's leaders - the Presbyterians are likely to
divest from any company that appears on this list.
While the
Presbyterian decision's likely economic impact is not negligible, the
American Jewish community is more concerned about the principle
inherent in the policy. "This is a new phase of aggressive behavior in
the expression of their feelings toward the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict," said Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granatoor, Interfaith Director for
the Anti-Defamation League.
He said that while the ADL and
other American Jewish organizations maintain contacts with the
Presbyterian church, the denomination's leaders did not inform the
American Jewish leadership about preparations for the divestment policy
- nor did the Presbyterians give the organized American Jewish
community a chance to respond to the developments at their General
Assembly.
Along with ADL National Director Abraham Foxman,
Rabbi Bretton-Granatoor sent a strongly worded letter to the leader of
the Presbyterian Church in the U.S., Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick, saying
that they feel hurt by the General Assembly's divestment decision. They
criticized the Presbyterians for drawing a comparison between the
situation in Israel and former apartheid South Africa. The letter also
attacked a call by the Presbyterians for an end to construction of the
separation fence.
Despite the Presbyterian divestment decision
in Richmond, many American Jewish leaders point out that there has been
productive cooperation with this church, particularly in the realm of
human rights. "Up to 1967 they were Israel's best friends, because they
always support the underdog," says Bretton-Granatoor. "After that they
started seeing Israel as a superpower."
Directed divestment
In the aftermath of the storm over the divestment decision, the
Presbyterian church plans to issue a clarifying statement soon, saying
that it will not boycott every company that has investments in Israel,
or earns profits from business with Israel.
The intention is
to provide boycott exemptions to companies or entities which deal in
education, social welfare and construction in Israel. The Presbyterians
want to direct the divestment policy toward "companies that might cause
damage and hurt the peace process," as Jay Rock phrases it.
In
parallel, an effort will be made to mend breaches with the Jewish
community. Up to now, American Jewish professionals complain,
Presbyterian replies to objections about the new divestment policy have
been evasive and unsatisfactory.
"We need to engage and think
together how these two communities, which both want to bring peace to
the region, can think together about ways to do it," says Rock. He
said: "It's clear that tension exists right now, but I hope that an
opportunity for dialogue will emerge from this."
Yet, the thrust
of statements made by Rock's counterpart, ADL Interfaith director
Bretton-Granatoor, casts doubt on this hope of future dialogue. "It is
accepted that reasonable people will ask questions and be critical -
but they have proposed drastic measures and a blanket approach, without
trying to balance or consult with the other side," Bretton-Granatoor
says.
Unlike other denominations in the U.S., the Presbyterian
church does not have a mass membership. Yet it is considered a highly
influential church, largely because its members include people with
clout in spheres such as politics and economics.
In recent
years, the pro-Israel community in America has come to rely
increasingly on the support of the Evangelical church, which has a mass
following of some 50 million believers and whose leaders are outspoken
proponents of Israel's right to occupy the territories, at least until
the Second Coming. This "Christian Zionism" approach was criticized at
the Presbyterian General Assembly which concluded that it has no clear
theological foundation.
Will the Presbyterian decision encourage
other denominations to adopt divestment policies? American Jewish
leaders do not seem concerned about such a falling of dominoes. The
Catholic Church, the largest Christian group in the U.S. and the world,
is currently drawing closer to Israel. Various Protestant denominations
in the U.S. periodically criticize Israeli policies in the territories
but do not seem to have divestment decisions on their agenda.
Another
decision reached by the Presbyterian General Assembly has little to do
with Israel, but has incensed the American Jewish community. By a 260
to 233 vote, the assembly authorized continued funding and support for
the Avodat Yisrael church in Philadelphia, which tries to convert Jews
to Christianity.
Jewish activists have in the past demanded
that this missionary group, which describes its purposes as
"messianic," desist from its activities - they have objected that
Avodat Yisrael uses duplicitous tactics - among other things, allegedly
posing as a Jewish institution.
Ha'aretz - 22/07/2004
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July 2004
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