This story located at: http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2006/06296.htm
General Assembly backgrounder: Middle East peace and divestment
Divestment process moves slowly, but some want it stopped
by Jerry L. Van Marter and Toya Richards Hill
LOUISVILLE - Since the creation of the modern state of Israel in 1948, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has consistently advocated a non-violent solution in the Middle East that guarantees Israel's security while providing an autonomous Palestinian state as well.
In 2004, with the Israel/Palestine situation deteriorating and violence escalating, the 216th General Assembly - at the pleading of Palestinian Christian leaders - voted to "initiate the process of selective, phased divestment" from multinational corporations the PC(USA) believes are impeding peace in the Middle East by profiting from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and the construction of the security barrier around and sometimes through occupied Palestinian territory.
Jewish groups and some Presbyterians launched immediate and vociferous protests, accusing the PC(USA) of being anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorism and worse. Interfaith relations nationally and locally have been strained.
Supporters of the decision praised the denomination for putting its money where its mouth is, after 50 years of issuing seemingly ineffectual statements in support of peaceful and secure coexistence between Israel and Palestine.
The denomination's Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) Committee has followed its deliberate procedure for selective, phased divestment: establishing criteria for identifying companies with which to engage, researching companies to determine which to engage and seeking dialogue with those companies so identified.
Five companies have been selected for "constructive engagement" - Caterpillar Inc., Citigroup, ITT Industries, Motorola and United Technologies. Initial dialogues have taken place with some of them.
Earlier this year MRTI announced that it is not nearly ready to recommend divestment of any company's stock - the last possible stage of the "selective, phased divestment" process. Only the General Assembly can authorize the divestment of stock so the earliest that could happen is the 2008 General Assembly.
In the meantime, no fewer than 22 overtures have been submitted on the subject. Some, including those from Mississippi, Sheppards and Lapsley, the James, New Covenant, Sierra Blanca, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, the Twin Cities Area and Eastern Virginia presbyteries, call for rescinding the 2004 divestment decision.
The Presbytery of Great Rivers in Illinois is calling for the divestment action to the rescinded only as it relates to Caterpillar Inc., headquartered in Peoria, IL. It also asks that the Assembly "recognize Caterpillar for its responsible actions as a global corporate citizen."
At the other end of the spectrum, the Presbytery of San Francisco is asking the GA to "reaffirm" the 216th Assembly's decision regarding divestment. "The occupation of the West Bank continues unabated, taking more land and isolating Palestinians from one another and their livelihood, undercutting the possibility of a viable economy," the presbytery says in its rationale.
That overture also asks this year's GA to direct MRTI "to recommend opportunities for investment in joint Palestinian-Israeli ventures," and proposes that the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program offer study tours for PC(USA) members and congregations and interfaith groups "that incorporate visits and interaction with both Israelis and Palestinians."
Other overtures call for a strategy of positive investment in the region to "promote peace between the Israeli and Palestinian people,"
as National Capital puts it. Presbyteries offering similar overtures include Transylvania, Chicago and Sheppards and Lapsley (included in its overture to rescind the divestment process).
Related overtures call for a task force to draft a new statement of the PC(USA)'s Middle East policy (Eastern Virginia Presbytery) and for an affirmation of "a common Abrahamic heritage" shared by Christians, Jews and Muslims as a step towards peace (Newton Presbytery).
Matters related to Middle East peace will be considered by Assembly Committee 11 - Peacemaking and International Relations.