This post is a continuation of Advocacy as Discipleship Pre-GA Issue. This edition of this publication seeks to provide an preview of the social justice business before the 221st General Assembly (2014) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Middle East Issues – Committee 4
Israel/Palestine Divestment
The Middle East Issues Committee will consider five business items
(04-08; 04-02; 04-07; 04-04; 04-06) addressing the topic of Israel/Palestine
divestment. The Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee (MRTI) will
present its Report recommending that the PC(USA) place Hewlett-Packard,
Motorola Solutions, and Caterpillar, on the General Assembly divestment list
“until such a time as they have ceased profiting from non-peaceful pursuits in
Israel-Palestine, as defined by previous General Assembly action.” MRTI’s
report comes after a long process of corporate engagement with the three
companies.
Overture 04-07, sponsored by the Synod of the Covenant, calls for
the General Assembly to adopt the recommendations proposed by MRTI and to
commend MRTI for its diligent work. Overture 04-02, sponsored by San Francisco
Presbytery, likewise calls for the Presbyterian Foundation and Board of
Pensions of the Presbyterian Church to disinvest from Caterpillar,
Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions. The overture provides an extensive
overview of the process of corporate engagement with the companies.
Overture 04-04, sponsored by New Covenant Presbytery, calls on the
Assembly to “reject any proposed divestment and economic sanctions against the
state of Israel or any application of the PC(USA)’s corporate engagement
policies toward such ends.” Critiquing the larger Boycott, Divestment, and
Sanctions movement (BDS) as targeting Israel unfairly, overture 04-04 argues
that the PC(USA) must not overlook the human rights record of Hamas and the
Palestinian Authority.
Sponsored by Mackinac Presbytery, overture 04-06 calls for the
PC(USA) only to support investments in the West Bank that protect the rights
and welfare of Palestinian people. This overture would forbid any investment
that contributes to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem,
especially as it relates to the development of Israeli “settlements and
barriers built on Palestinian land in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.”
Boycott of Israeli Settlement Products
Two overtures coming to this Assembly address boycotts. Overture
04-04, sponsored by New Covenant Presbytery, rejects the boycott of products or
companies engaged in business in settlements or the Occupied Palestinian
Territories (as approved by the 220th GA in 2012), arguing that positive
investment in joint Palestinian-Israeli economic ventures will ultimately
buttress the Palestinian economy.
Overture 04-05, sponsored by New Brunswick Presbytery, calls for a
boycott of all products made and sold by Hewlett-Packard “until the company
ceases to profit from all non-peaceful pursuits in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories and the violation of Palestinian human rights.” The overture
is specifically directed toward HP because of its involvement with several
projects that profit from the occupation of the Palestinian Territories.
On the Two-State Solution for Israel and
Palestine
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) presently supports a two state
solution to end the conflict in Israel/Palestine. Overture 04-01, sponsored by
San Francisco Presbytery, asks that the Assembly, under the auspices of the
Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP), “provide a comprehensive
history of” the General Assembly adoption of “policies favoring a two-state
solution in Israel Palestine.” Additionally, 04-01 calls ACSWP to prepare a
report, to be presented to the 222nd General Assembly (2016), to provide up-to-date
information regarding the situation in Israel/Palestine, with a recommendation
as to whether or not the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) should continue its
support for a two-state solution or remain neutral, allowing Israelis and
Palestinians to decide for themselves what solution is best.
Overture 04-04, sponsored by New Covenant Presbytery, calls upon
the GA to reaffirm PC(USA) support for a two-state solution “in which a secure
and universally recognized State of Israel lives alongside a free, viable, and
secure state for the Palestinian people.” This overture argues that the two-state
solution as the “best path to sustainable peace.” As such, overture 04-04 is
opposed to divestment and economic sanctions directed toward Israel.
On Human Rights and International Law in
Israel/Palestine
Overture 04-03, sponsored by Grace Presbytery, calls upon the
church to live into its God appointed role of being an agent for
reconciliation, hope, and repentance as it works for peace and cooperation
among all nations. Understanding Christ to have worked against racism, it calls
on the GA to “respect the human rights of the Israeli people.” Simultaneously,
04-03 “[deplores] the violation of the human rights of Palestinians by the
government of Israel.” Explaining the various ways in which the government of
Israel unjustly treats Palestinians, 04-03 recommends that GA “acknowledge that
the actions of the Israeli government…meet and surpass the United Nations
definition of apartheid.”
In item 04-09, the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy
calls on the GA to support equal rights and full economic participation for all
inhabitants of Israel and the occupied territories including Jerusalem, the
West Bank, and Gaza. Additionally, the Report calls for the PC(USA) to support
an open and faithful discussion of the need for
equal rights and legal standing within congregational and forums.
Such conversations, the report advocates, should include a diverse view of
Christian, Muslim, and Jewish viewpoints through partnership with synagogues,
temples, and mosques.
To
read the complete items of business before the Middle East Committee, visit the General Assembly's business website at http://www.pc-biz.org.
