For Immediate Release: Friday, August 18, 2006
THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA ADOPTS A PRO-PEACE INVESTMENT STRATEGY FOR THE MIDDLE EAST
Thunder Bay: Meeting in Thunder Bay, Ontario, August 13-19, 2006, the 39th General Council of The United Church of Canada has adopted a pro-peace investment strategy that delegates hope will contribute to the realization of a just peace in Palestine and Israel.
Additionally, Canada's largest Protestant denomination has committed itself to developing the means of raising one million dollars to support projects, initiatives, and groups of any faith working for peace in Palestine and Israel.
In a resolution that was passed last evening, the delegates agreed to invite the membership, congregations, and organizations of The United Church of Canada to
* continue to work with the Jewish and Arab communities to promote peace and understanding and the end of hostilities in the Middle East
* continue to denounce acts of violence perpetrated against persons on all sides of the conflict
* adopt a pro-investment strategy with companies that engage in ethically responsible business, and that contribute to peace and a secure and economically viable Palestinian state alongside a secure and economically viable State of Israel
* make financial investments, as they pertain to Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank, with Canadian and international corporations and companies that are engaged only in peaceful pursuits in the region
Non-peaceful pursuits would include
* providing products, services, or financial support to groups that engage in violence against Palestinian or Israeli persons
* providing products, services, or technology to any government or organization that refuses to recognize the legitimate rights of the State of Israel, including its right to exist as a Jewish state
* providing products, services, or technology that sustain, support, or maintain the occupation
* having established facilities or operations on occupied land
* providing products, services, or financial support for the establishment, expansion, and/or maintenance of settlements on occupied land or settlement-related infrastructure
* providing finances or assisting in the construction and/or maintenance of the separation barrier within occupied territories
For further information, please contact:
Mary-Frances Denis Communications Officer The United Church of Canada 807-343-8529 (until Saturday, August 19) 416-231-7680 ext. 2016 (office)
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