US Presbyterians consider divestment measure against Israel

The largest Presbyterian group in the United States is pondering divesting from three companies whose products Israel uses to facilitate its occupation of the West Bank.


The Presbyterian Church (USA) says the three companies -- Caterpillar Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., and Motorola -- provide services that aid Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, The Associated Press reported on Thursday.

Israel occupied the Palestinian territories of East al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the West Bank in 1967 and later annexed both territories. The international community has refused to recognize either move.

The potential move by the Presbyterians has infuriated many Jewish groups, prompting them to send representatives to the church’s national assembly in Pittsburg to lobby against the prospect. Debate and vote on the proposal were scheduled for late Thursday.

In recent years, pro-Palestinian Presbyterians have tried to persuade the denomination to divest itself of holdings in the firms, but have seen their efforts thwarted by US Jewish groups.

Rev. Walt Davis of a pro-Palestinian Presbyterian group has argued that "were it not for the Israel lobby," the denomination would have withdrawn investments years ago from the companies under church's own socially-responsible investment guidelines.

"They said first that it's anti-Semitic, then that it's anti-Israel, then that it delegitimizes Israel. It's none of those," he has said. "It's us being true to our values."

Before the Thursday vote, however, the liberal-leaning Americans for Peace Now branded the Presbyterian effort as “misguided and counterproductive,” and called on the church to reject the divestment proposal.

“Divestment campaigns such as this therefore raise very real and understandable worries about global anti-Semitism and the perception that the campaigns are not truly [or only] about Israeli policies, but rather reflect a deep-seated hatred for and rejection of Israel,” the group said in a statement.

The US investment firm MSCI Inc. has removed Caterpillar from three of its popular indexes over concerns about the Israeli military’s use of Caterpillar’s armor-plated bulldozers in the Occupied Territories.

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