September 24, 2004
By Alexa Smith

LOUISVILLE - As leading members of the Anglican church announced an intention to recommend the adoption of a corporate divestment strategy similar to the one approved by the Presbyterian Church (USA) this summer related to Israel, the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem is asking Presbyterians to take the lead in inviting other churches on board. "Now that you have taken this step, you need the support of others in the world," Bishop Riah Abu-Assal told the Presbyterian News Service in a telephone interview from Nazareth, his hometown.

"You need to invite representatives of other Christian communions, representatives of the World Council of Churches - "And start working on a strategy," he said, pushing for a meeting of church leaders in the United States, initiated by the PC(USA). "We want this to have some effect. Only then will the Israeli government take note."

The 216th General Assembly of the PC(USA) voted in early July to selectively divest stocks in its $8 billion portfolio from corporations who profit by supporting Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories. The denomination's Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) Committee is now researching its portfolio and more than 20 years of denominational policy opposing the Israeli occupation in order to establish criteria for this process. But the actual criteria to identify approachable corporations will not be available until after MRTI meets in November.

Engagement will most likely begin with corporations profiting from the construction of settlements, the demolition of homes and the uprooting of orchards and the ongoing building of a separation wall - all violations of international law, according to Bill Somplatsky-Jarman, MRTI's primary researcher. Divestment is always MRTI's last resort. The denomination's actual goal is to persuade corporations to shift to more ethical business practices through shareholder resolutions, dialogue and public pressure. Abu-Assal said he will bring a divestment strategy before the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) - a gathering of bishops from across the world - which is meeting in London, Oct. 16-18. "I intend to bring it to their attention," he said. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, will preside over the international council.

Abu-Assal's proposal will not be arriving without backup. Thirty or so representatives of the Anglican Peace and Justice Network (APJN) issued a statement yesterday in Jerusalem that it also intends to recommend that the ACC adopt a resolution calling for divestment from Israel. Jenny Te Paa, who led the APJN delegation, told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, that her team will "return home and recommend that the ACC adopt a resolution calling for divestment from Israel, and, if our delegation is representative of the larger Anglican sentiment, then I'd say we're in good shape." Paa is from New Zealand. Other delegates represented 23 provinces of the worldwide Anglican Communion, including Rwanda, Congo, Japan, Kenya, Korea, North India, Australia, Brazil and Canada. Describing the conditions of the occupation as "draconian," the delegation issued a statement saying that it has concluded there is "little will on behalf of the Israeli government to recognize the rights of the Palestinians to a sovereign state to be created on the West Bank" and accused the United States of "complicity" with Israel by ignoring international laws.

"We have heard from Israeli Jewish voices, and from Palestinians, both those who reside in Israel and those who live under Occupation. We note the continuing policies of illegal home demolitions, detentions, checkpoints, identity card systems and the presence of the Israeli military that make any kind of normal life impossible," the statement reads. "We have seen and heard the effects of the overwhelming presence of settlements or colonies in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in Gaza, and the bypass roads and highways that connect them while disconnecting Palestinian villages, one from another.

"We have seen the destruction of precious arable lands and restrictions on precious water resources. Finally, and shockingly, we have been exposed to the separation wall that violates international boundaries, causing mayhem in Palestinian daily life and further defines Israeli intentions to appropriate land from the Palestinians."

It also says, "We deeply respect and honor those Israelis who are prepared to end this miserable Occupation and recognize a Palestinian State, people courageously committed to justice and who work against home demolitions, who promote human rights and oppose settlements, bypass roads and the separation wall. And we pay tribute to the courage, endurance and hope of the Palestinian people who suffer the dreadful injustice of the Occupation."

Although Abu-Assal - who is traveling in Japan - was unable to be reached for comment on the APJN action, he has been consistently vocal about the reluctance of U.S. churches to do more than issue statements about human rights violations in Israel/Palestine. "The PC(USA) action has been welcomed throughout the world," he said. Abu-Assal called for a similar action three years ago on the floor of the World Council of Churches (WCC) - asking for a boycott of goods produced in the settlements. While his motion drew applause, the WCC took no action. The Church of Sweden currently recommends that its members boycott goods produced in settlements. "I am of the opinion," he told the Presbyterian News Service, "that unless there are some form of sanctions imposed on the settlements, the settlers, and perhaps, the government of Israel, there will be very little action about peace. There will be talking about it, but no making of it. "We want action. The church - with two billion people - can have an impact."

The Lutheran Bishop of Jerusalem, Munib Younan, is more circumspect about commenting directly on divestment as a strategy. He is firm, however, on the need for the church to speak directly for justice and in opposition to illegal actions, including settlement expansion and ongoing human rights violations. The Patriarch of Jerusalem - the Roman Catholic church leader - declined comment.

Presbyterian News Service