Presbyterians to stop investing in Israel
The Daily Star
20 July 2004
http://dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?...10&categ_id=2&
article_id=6409
BEIRUT:
Leaders of the Presbyterian Church in the United States
have approved a plan to stop investing in Israel as a measure to
protest the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
The approval of the plan came at the 216th General Assembly, held
in Richmond, Virginia, earlier this month.
By a vote of 431 to 62, the assembly agreed to call for the
corporate witness office of the Presbyterian Church to begin
gathering data to support a selective divestment of holdings in
multinational corporations doing business in Israel and the
Occupied Territories.
When some commissioners expressed reservations about the
divestment plan, Reverend Mitri Raheb, a Lutheran pastor from
Bethlehem and an ecumenical guest at the assembly, said divestment
was important so churches can take direct action.
For too long, he said, the churches have simply issued statements,
which is not enough.
Raheb, who is also general director of the International Center of
Bethlehem, said churches should send strong messages to companies
- a reference to Caterpillar Inc., which builds armored bulldozers
used by Israel to demolish Palestinian homes.
Reverend Victor Makari, the church's liaison to the Mideast,
supported the divestment strategy, saying the issue of divestment
was very sensitive with Israe. But he argued that if nothing else
seemed to have changed the policy of Israel toward Palestinians,
the church would have to send a clear and strong message.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has approximately 2.5 million
members, 11,200 congregations and 21,000 ordained ministers.
Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the
Protestant Reformation.
The Jeruslam Post reported this week that a director at the
pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League, Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granatoor,
called the assembly's resolutions offensive and distressing. - The
Daily Star