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Presbyterian Group Backs Israel
A Presbyterian group - the Committee to End Divestment Now (CEDN) - is working to correct what it says was a mistake made in 2004 by the 216th General Assembly of that church - a resolution calling for "a process of phased selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel.” The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (PCUSA) has 2.3 million members from the 50 states and Puerto Rico. It has been involved with missions to the Middle East for more than 150 years. The now disputed mandate to explore the punitive divestment was tied at the time to the church’s resolution calling for immediate and unconditional removal of the security barrier constructed by the Israelis as a defense against Palestinian suicide bombers and snipers. Furthermore, the Israeli occupation was condemned by the 216th General Assembly as "the root of evil acts committed against innocent people on both sides of the conflict.”
Story Continues Below Such rhetoric has calmed. "We believe that the Presbyterian Church is at heart a much more fair and wise organization than these 2004 resolutions would indicate," says CEDN board member Jim Roberts. "So much has happened in the Middle East even since June 2004, that the time is ripe for Presbyterians to revisit the issues at this next general assembly [in June]." Roberts further notes that the CEDN is not a lone voice, but that there has been an enormous and prolonged eruption of vigorous protest - both within the PCUSA and by secular and Jewish commentators and organizations - to end the divestment effort. According to its Web site, CEDN leaders maintain that the 2004 actions look ever worse with the passage of time, in the context of recent political events in the Middle East since July 2004. The site notes that the president of Iran has in recent months called for Israel to be wiped off the face of the earth. The president has further contended that the Holocaust never happened. And he has defiantly moved forward with the development of a nuclear weapons program as well as building a missile system capable of targeting Israel.
In contrast, points out CEDN, Israeli President Ariel Sharon, at great political and personal risk, successfully completed a peaceful disengagement from Gaza, despite widespread opposition within Israel. The Palestinians, on the other hand, argue that CEDN, in January 2006, gave Hamas 58 percent of their votes and 74 of 132 legislative council seats. Hamas has, for many years, been listed by the European Union, Canada, and the United States as a terrorist organization. "It is quite obvious that continued mindless Presbyterian adherence to its 2004 resolutions in the context of these and other developments in the Middle East will further damage our denomination's credibility and witness,” concludes a CEDN press release. The divestment move made headlines in 2004 when 14 members of Congress jointly protested to the leader of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church: "In our view, this resolution and other associated resolutions and statements reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, contradict the Church's stated commitment to ‘the secure existence of Israel and the Israeli people’ and undermine the prospect of peace by emboldening those who seek to de-legitimize the State of Israel.” Things further heated up when PCUSA groups chose to meet with Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization, in Lebanon during trips in October 2004 and October 2005. Despite ensuing waves of protest, the mechanics of divestment went forward under the auspices of a church task force entitled the "Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee.” In August 2005, MRTI released a list of companies targeted for "engagement” and, if engagement should fail, "divestment” at some subsequent date: Caterpillar, Motorola, ITT, United Technologies, and Citigroup. But CEDN now maintains that the targeting was ill-advised and more haphazard than effective: "Caterpillar was and is an unlikely candidate for dialogue or divestment for three reasons. First, it cannot be held responsible for how purchasers might use its equipment. "Second, Caterpillar equipment is used around the world for countless humanitarian purposes, including disaster relief after the devastating earthquake in Pakistan [2005] and the unprecedented tsunami in Indonesia [2005]. Both rescue efforts were in relief of nearly 100 percent Muslim populations.” "We are confident that interfaith relations can be fully restored," the CEDN site says, "if the church acts promptly to repeal these resolutions at the 217th General Assembly in June 2006."
Editor's note:
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