Presbyterian Church Approves Divestment From Israel
by JNS.org
Presbyterian Church Assembly. Photo: Screenshot.
JNS.org – Leaders of Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) voted Friday at the church’s biennial general assembly in Detroit to divest from Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions, all companies that do business with Israel, in a 310-303 vote.
B’nai B’rith International said in a statement that the vote means PCUSA has become “an active participant in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement” against Israel.
“As a humanitarian organization that has invested tremendous hope and extensive efforts worldwide in building Christian-Jewish friendship for 170 years, we remain confident that such an approach does not reflect the values and perspectives of the vast majority of American Christians,” B’nai B’rith said.
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Rabbi Noam Marans, the American Jewish Committee’s director of interreligious and intergroup relations, said PCUSA leaders are “facilitating the delegitimization of Israel in the guise of helping Palestinians.”
At the 2012 Presbyterian general assembly, an Israel divestment resolution narrowly failed in a 333-331 vote.
