The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation commends Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for its recent General Assembly decision to selectively divest from multinational corporations that operate within Israel. Citing numerous violations of human rights that are consistently carried out against innocent civilians in the region, the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) has stood firmly behind its decision to boycott these corporations in the face of massive criticism.
The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation commends Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for its recent General Assembly decision to selectively divest from multinational corporations that operate within Israel. Citing numerous violations of human rights that are consistently carried out against innocent civilians in the region, the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) has stood firmly behind its decision to boycott these corporations in the face of massive criticism.
In addition to PCUSA’s initiative of selective divestment, the General Assembly has also called upon Israel to end the construction of it’s “Separation Barrier” because it is “causing harm to innocent people there”, and has declared that Christian Zionism “does not represent the majority of American Christians and the faith of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)”. Furthermore, PCUSA has stated that it will become proactive in informing “current government officials of the Christian alternatives to Christian Zionism” because the belief “promotes a theology that justifies grievous violations of the gospel of Jesus Christ”. Remembering the often-forgotten Holy Land Christians, and even citing HCEF web sources six times in its official General Assembly document (see below), PCUSA has stated that Christian Zionism’s “teaching invite contempt for fellow Christians in the Middle East, and foreclose decent human relations with many Evangelical Christians in our own American society and in our churches”.
PCUSA has affirmed its position on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict by stating that “the occupation must end; it has proven to be at the root of evil acts committed against innocent people on both sides of the conflict”. Moreover, the General Assembly of PCUSA has stated that “the security of Israel and the Israeli people is inexorably dependent on making peace with their Palestinian neighbors, by negotiating and reaching a just and equitable solution to the conflict that respects international law, human rights, the sanctity of life, and dignity of persons, land, property, safety of home, freedom of movement, the rights of refugees to return to their homeland, the right of a people to determine their political future, and to live in peace and prosperity.”
Rateb Rabie, HCEF President, hails PCUSA’s decision to divest by stating, “these documents and decisions are a way of highlighting nonviolent means of responding to an overwhelmingly violent situation…Hopefully other Christian communities will follow in the footsteps of the Presbyterian’s decision to take a proactive step toward encouraging a just peace in the region”.
Click on the following link to view PCUSA’s official General Assembly document on Christian Zionism: https://www.pcusa.org/interfaith/pdf/ovt04-34.pdf
