We previously discussed the growing boycott of Israel by various academic, political, and business groups. On Friday, another major organization joined the movement. The Presbyterian Church voted — by a razor thin margin of 310-303 — to join the boycott. The Church only has about $21 million in investment capital so this is not a significant financial hit for the Israeli government but the vote carried obviously considerable symbolic value for the boycott movement and could further damage tourism for Israel.
The American Jewish Committee in New York responded by denounced the Presbyterians for a vote “driven by hatred of Israel.” That is not what I would have recommended as a response, particularly in such a close vote. While there are valid arguments to be made against such boycotts, it is neither productive nor accurate to accuse the 1.8 million member church of simply being anti-Israel. They were obviously motivated by what they saw as a human rights issue due to the treatment of the Palestinians. Rather than attack the church as anti-Semitic or anti-Israel, it would have been better to address that concern and counter with countervailing arguments. Indeed, some opposing divestment took a more measured approach like Rabbi Rick Jacobs, head of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism, who objected that the Church vote was unfortunate because it would as a whole is no longer be “a partner for joint work on Israel-Palestine peace issues.”
The close vote reflected intense lobbying on both sides. Notably, this included Rabbis and other members of Jewish Voice for Peace, who advocated for divestment. Those Jewish advocates believe that only divestment will change government policies. Jewish advocates also lobbied against divestment.
Source: NPR
Karen,
What do we say of “conservatives” who cater to every whim of a spoiled child?
“Daddy, if you don’t buy me a pony then you must hate me.”
compare…
If you don’t accept everything Israel does, you must hate Israel.
That is a really bad analogy. A better analogy would be Daddy if you do not protect me against all the bullies who want to kill me, then you must hate me.
A better analogy would be: to use the truth. Zionists claim all the land for the exclusive use of Jews. Period.
When whites in South Africa restricted things, we called it evil.
Same thing in Israel. Evil.
Interesting, a Christian denomination actually starting to wake up.
The GOP in the House here are Frisbeetarians: “Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck.” – Carlin
Dredd – I thought Frisbeetarians threw a little saucer back and forth in the effort to gain knowledge. It is practiced by hippies and liberals on weekends. Some have advanced to throwing it to their dog in an effort to gain a higher enlightenment.
Muslim Extremists, sanctioned by entire governments and vast regions, stone rape victims for adultery, sentence gays to death, and engage in all sorts of violations of human rights.
But the Liberals continue to bow and scrape to them, while they despise Christianity. There’s just no reasoning with this trained Pavlovian response.
Help, please. I had a comment eaten. Thank you.
Good for the Presbyterians. It’s about time someone stood up and said ‘No More’ to Israel.
lufts:
Good point.
How can we explain, so people can understand, that the Palestinian Authority has openly admitted that it will NEVER accept the Jewish state of Israel. You could give them land each and every year, and they will never stop wanting to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth. And every single one of its Muslim neighbors feel the same way. And Israel is TINY, surrounded by hostile, well armed neighbors. Give up the West Bank and it is reachable by missile all across its breadth. They engage in terrorism all the time in Israel. We had the Boston Massacre and were shocked and traumatized. This has happened so many times in Israel – the slaughter of innocent people, including children, just going out to the market, or on a school bus. Trying to root out Islamic Extremists, sanctioned by an entire region, is very difficult.
Israel can end the boycotts by ending its apartheid.
It is not exactly accurate to refer to “the presbyterians” or to state that Presbyterians did something.
Presbyterianism, in the United States of America, and elsewhere, is divided into a diverse collection of independent Presbyterian denominations.
Presbyterianism is a form of church governance, and is decidedly not a religious denomination.
Not to worry, the fundamentalist evangelicals will still embrace Israel wholeheartedly. What’s a few Presbyterians?
Maybe the presbyterians should boycott medicines and cures invented by jewish scientists
Economic boycotts are a common practice and typically done in response to actions by the countries being boycotted. They don’t have anything to do with the race or religion of the country being boycotted. When South Africa was being boycotted there were no cries of racism or religious persecution. However, the minute anyone disagrees with Israel they are accused of being an anti-semite. I strongly support Israel’s right to exist, have empathized throughout my life for the way Jews have been treated throughout history, and find those who are anti-semitic despicable and the worst trash on the earth. However, Israel is wrong in the way it has treated, is treating, and will unfortunately be treating the Palestinians. They are in control and are the only ones that can fix the mess they created. It seems, however, that Israel will follow the time proved approach used by most invading and colonizing powers, attrition.
The Presbyterian church has lost about 30% of its membership in recent years – sounds like they are becoming irrelevant.
Perhaps this is a clue as why they don’t matter.
rbshea: “Conflating opposition to Israeli government actions and policies with anti-Semitism is a cheap and bankrupt argument.”
Precisely. There are several posters here who routinely respond to any debate with charges of ad hominem attacks. It’s their main response, in one case the only response.
The comical part is that that they almost never discuss Democratic or progressive ideals without engaging in ad hominem attacks.
Conflating opposition to Israeli government actions and policies with anti-Semitism is a cheap and bankrupt argument. Hopefully, it may be losing some of its impact.
The complexity of the entire Middle East’s cauldron of hatred includes of course the use of religion and tribalism as political weapons by cynical political forces. Like the US only with lethal weapons. Certainly, the cynical, self-serving Likud and the duplicitous Netanyahu deserve being identified for what they are: enforcers of an apartheid state, and undermining any chances for a two-state solution that isn’t dictated by Israel. Without US backing and blind eye, they wouldn’t be in that position. And the US role in deepening the violence rampant in the region extending now to Central Asia has wrecked further havoc and places an even greater moral and security burden on us. Sadly, successive US adminstrations and Congresses, thanks to ownership by lobbying bribes, have proven incapable of such leadership and its necessary policy changes.
At this point, I see little hope for peace in that region. Israel and the US as state actors, bear some, not all, of the responsibility for that.
Commenter Justice Holmes challenge to boycotters to include other countries strikes me as a more creative, symbolic gesture, putting pressure for peace on all the parties involved. Including European and American companies in that process would make help.
I second that. Good move, Presbyterians!
Good move Presbyterians.
This sounds a lot like the vote that lost us a planet. During my uncle’s career in the government, at one point he was the paymaster for NATO and was stationed in Europe. During this period he and his wife visited the Holy Land during Christmas and said it was the most religiously uplifting time of their lives.
Are there divestments in the wings of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Egypt and other countries who abuse and oppress their citizens and treat their women like nonhumans? No? Then nothing more need be said.
Besides the absurd hypocrisy of any Christian group doing anything to complain about anything in Israel, when Christians are being slaughtered throughout the middle east, and protected in, and emigrating to, Israel, you’d wonder why they would not, for example, boycott Egypt, where the slaughter of the Coptics is a daily occurrence, or Syria, where Christians are fleeing in the thousands for the same reason, etc, etc.
And far from “further” damaging tourism, tourism to Israel continues to set records EVERY year, including again, this past year.