Presbyterian Church (PC-USA) Divests from Israel
By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (Worthy News)– Jewish organizations in America reacted with disbelief at Friday’s decision by the Presbyterian Church(USA) to divest $1.9 million from companies implicit in Israel’s presence in the West Bank, according to Ynet news.
In a 310-303 vote taken during its General Assembly, PCUSA agreed to divest from Caterpillar, Hewlett Packard and Motorola Solutions.
In response, the American Jewish Community accused PCUSA’s leadership of “facilitating the delegitimization of Israel in the guise of helping Palestinians.”
“This is an affront to all who are committed to a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” said Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations. “The PCUSA decision is celebrated by those who believe they are one step closer to a Jew-free Middle East.”
Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, predicted PCUSA’s decision will have a devastating impact on relations between Jewish groups and the Christian denomination. But American Jewish leaders were not alone in their dismay at PCUSA.
Concerning her denomination’s decision to divest, the Rev. Katharine Rhodes Henderson, president of the Presbyterian Auburn Seminary, said: “It hurts the Presbyterian place at the table for peacemaking, and creates barriers not just between Presbyterians and Jews, and Israelis and Palestinians, but also within the Presbyterian body.”
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