Presbyterian Church USA
Don't profit from injustice.
The Presbyterian Church USA has been considering divesting from the Israeli occupation since 2004. Every other year, they hold a General Assembly. There they address issues related to Israel/Palestine, and they discuss their desire not to profit from human rights violations and injustice. For six years, they have asked Caterpillar to ensure that the bulldozers it sells are not used to demolish Palestinian homes or uproot Palestinian olive trees. Unfortunately, Caterpillar has not changed its practices.
The Church acknowledged Caterpillar's wrong-doing:
Caterpillar, Inc. has produced, sold and profited from equipment that has been and continues to be used—with or without modifications made by their exclusive dealers and by others—for clearly non-peaceful purposes. Caterpillar thus profits from continued actions by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and other government agencies (at times by private companies under contract with government entities or on construction projects approved by Israeli government bodies) that have been condemned by the international community and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). These uses include (but are not limited to) the demolition of the homes of Palestinian civilians, the building of Israeli settlements and the separation barrier on Palestinian territory that is occupied illegally by Israel, and the provision of (and possible conscription in the future) of civilian employees of Caterpillar's exclusive dealer to the Israeli military for the purpose of maintaining Caterpillar equipment for military purposes.
As well as the minimal probability that Caterpillar will improve its record through dialog and negotiations:
Caterpillar's unwillingness to engage with authenticity and openness is unique and disappointing. Their actions do not provide much encouragement about the possibility for real change coming through conversation and correspondence conducted “behind the scenes.”
Despite this realistic assessment, the church did not choose to divest from Caterpillar. Instead, the Presbyterian Church USA chose to denounce Caterrpillar's profit-making from the demolition of Palestinian homes while continuing its own profits from these endeavors:
On the basis of Christian principles and as a matter of social witness, the 219th General Assembly strongly denounces Caterpillar's continued profit-making from non-peaceful uses of a number of its products. We call upon Caterpillar to carefully review its involvement in obstacles to a just and lasting peace in Israel-Palestine, and to take affirmative steps to end its complicity in the violation of human rights. We hope that, by God's grace, Caterpillar will come to exercise its considerable power and influence in the service of a just and lasting peace in Israel/Palestine.
On other matters, the Presbyterian Church USA voted in favor of the Middle East Study Committee Report and in favor of the Kairos declaration, representing the voices of the dwindling Palestinian Christian community. The Church also voted to support the Goldstone Report, and to call on the US government to ensure compliance with American laws in its disbursement of military aid, specifically the US Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (which prohibits giving assistance to the government of any country which engages in a consistent pattern of human rights violations) and the U.S. Arms Export Control Act of 1976 (which prohibits using U.S. weapons against civilians and civilian infrastructures).
Read our position on some of the Israel/Palestine items discussed by the Presbyterian Church USA:
Read Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb's call on the Presbyterians to divest from Caterpillar.
A week before the Presbterian General Assembly, the Methodist Church in the UK voted to boycott all products from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, and to encourage Methodists across Britain to do the same. The Methodist Church in the UK took a moral stand against discrimination and injustice. We pray that this will serve as an inspiration to the Presbyterian General Assembly, as they consider divesting from the Israeli occupation
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More questions? Email divest@jewishvoiceforpeace.org