Presbyterian Church to use divestment against military suppliers.

[Freedomfried]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/06/national/06church.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th

The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. announced Friday that it would press four American corporations to stop providing military equipment and technology to Israel for use in the occupation of the Palestinian territories, and that if the companies did not comply, the church would take a vote to divest its stock in them.

The companies - Caterpillar, Motorola, ITT Industries and United Technologies - were selected from a list of several dozen possibilities by a church investment committee that met Friday in Seattle. The Presbyterians accused these companies of selling helicopters, cellphones, night vision equipment and other items Israel uses to enforce its occupation.

In an effort to appear even-handed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the church committee also included Citigroup on its list of targets, alleging it had a connection to a bank accused of having a role in funneling money from Islamic charities to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers. The church said it included Citigroup because it was mentioned in an article in The Wall Street Journal.

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The Presbyterian Church's committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment has brought similar economic pressure against other companies accused of abetting human rights abuses in countries like China, the Sudan, Myanmar, Nigeria and Guatemala. But church staff members said this was the first time it had focused on companies doing business in Israel.



Finally, the spirit of Christ shines thru!

[lildreamer316]

1. Well Damn!

Just when you thought all was lost....
Nice.

[applegrove]

2. My understanding of the Presbytery is that they learnt from their silence

in WWII - that they had to speak out about persecution or be church lite. They made a pact with Jewish elders that they would support their fight against anti-semitism in the West. And they have done so.

I think that the sooner Israel has a peace..the sooner they can stop complaining about not being treating like a "great democracy". For sure Israel will be a "great democracy" some day soon. But they have to negotiate a meaningful peace first. And until that day..they should expect groups all over the world that learnt the horrid lessons of WWII to not be happy or supportive of their policies. Palestinians are disenfranchised. They may be very close to being franchised and indeed do vote. But they either have their own nation or not. And limbo is not acceptable.

And this was totally predictable. Even the Israeli's knew that after Apartheid fell they would be the focus of social justice movers the world over. So I find it hard to take it when they complain about the boycotts when they knew 20 & 30 years ago that these things would take place until a deal had been brokered and implemented. They predicted such social justice attention. Up to them to work hard towards peace. Which I think they are doing. But - until the fat lady sings they will be continually not treated like the democracy that they give to themselves and have denied to others. These social justice groups have not been supportive of the suicide bombers either.