- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- "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."
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- Tracking Caterpillar
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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."
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- Directed divestment
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- "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."
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/454513.html
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