Below is a copy of a resolution by the United Church of Christ (forwarded to us by ICAN) to divest in companies that do business with Israel, to be submitted at their conference in Atlanta Georgia on July 3, 2005.
At the end of this message is a copy of a letter sent from Roz Rothstein, National Director StandWithUs.
Please send your own, original letters to the leadership of the United Church of Christ thomasj@ucc.org guffeye@ucc.org jacksonb@ucc.org malayanj@ucc.org copel@ucc.org.
SELECTIVE DIVESTMENT FROM COMPANIES INVOLVED WITH ISRAEL'S OCCUPATION OF THE WEST BANK AND GAZA, THE BUILDING OF THE "SECURITY FENCE," AND THE ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS WITHIN PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
http://www.ucc.org/synod/resolutions/gs25-15.pdf
(Prudential Resolution: Requires majority vote for passage)
Submitted by: Board of Directors, Penn West Conference
Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the world of the Lord form Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for the strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own figtree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken. All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.
Micah 4:2-4
Summary
This resolution calls the church and the U.S. government to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a just manner and requires the United Church of Christ's Corporate Social Responsibility Ministry to begin the process of divestment from companies involved with Israel's illegal (by UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338) occupations of the West Bank and Gaza, the building of the "security fence," and the Israeli settlements within Palestinian Territory.
Theological Rationale: We believe that God in love seeks blessing and not destruction for all peoples, and lays the same pursuit upon Jews, Christians and Muslims (Genesis 12:1-3, 17:15-20, 21:14-19; Joshua 5:13-15; Isaiah 42:5-7, 49:6; Jonah; Micah 4:2-4; Matthew 5:14-16, 5:23-24; Mark 3:35; Luke 6:27-36, 9:51-55, 10:25-37; John 3:16-17, 21:15-17; Revelation 22:1-2)
Background
Over the past decades, the United Church of Christ, through General Synod and through other UCC instrumentalities have used formal resolutions and statements to urge a just settlement to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. These words have not succeeded in solving the conflict. During the era of apartheid in South Africa, the United Church of Christ, along with other denominations and organizations, successfully used divestment as a tool to bring justice to South Africa. Mindful that divestment has been a successful tool in the past, we urge the use of selective divestment in bringing justice to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The obvious initial candidate for selective divestment would be the Illinois-based Caterpillar Corporation. Their purpose-built machines have enabled, and are still enabling, the Israeli Defense Force to destroy increasingly more Palestinian homes and olive orchards. One of these machines was instrumental in the deliberate crushing to death of the young American peace volunteer (International Solidarity Movement) Rachel Corrie in Gaza on March 16, 2003. Rachel was the first non-Palestinian peace activist to be killed in the Occupied Territories by the IDF. She shared the fate of some 2300 Palestinians (the vast majority of them civilians) who were killed by Israeli troops or settlers during the Intifada from September 2000 to March 2003.
Resolution
REMEMBERING all previous resolutions and statements regarding the Middle East expressed by the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) separately and collectively through the Common Global Ministries Board and the affirmation the denominations have made of the World Council of Churches' Decade to Overcome Violence, and
WHEREAS the United Church of Christ, along with other denominations and organizations, successfully used divestment as a tool to bring justice in South Africa, and
WHEREAS the United Church of Christ has repeatedly affirmed that the State of Israel has a right to exist, and that the Palestinian people also have a right to their own state, whether it is through a one-state or two-state solution, and
WHEREAS the United Church of Christ has called for an end to anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world, and has passed a resolution to this effect as recently as GS 2002, and
WHEREAS both the ancient Jewish people and the Palestinian people are known as Semitic and therefore charges of anti-Semitism are completely unfounded when people call for a just and equitable peace settlement in Israel/Palestine; that this resolution is based on both a pro-Israeli and a pro-Palestinian peoples perspective; that it is not anti-Semitic to criticize the Palestinian policy of Israeli governments; and
WHEREAS, we condemn the violence on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but also believe that the roots of terrorism begin in the unjust and inequitable situation in Israel/Palestine,and
WHEREAS many corporations based in or doing business in the United States are directly supporting the illegal occupations of the West Bank and Gaza, the building of the "security fence," the ongoing demolishing of Palestinian homes and olive orchards, and the continuation of (and ongoing construction of new) Israeli settlements within Palestinian territories illegally occupied by Israel since 1967,
THEREFORE LET IT BE RESOLVED that the Twenty-fifth General Synod of the United Church of Christ:
1. Calls on the Corporate Social Responsibility Ministry (CSR) to begin the process of helping the Pension Board and the United Church Foundation selectively divest fromc ompanies involved with Israel's illegal occupations of the West Bank and Gaza, the construction of the "security fence," and the continuation of (and ongoing construction of new) Israeli settlements within Palestinian territories illegally occupied by Israel.
2. Calls on CSR, once criteria for selective divestment have been developed, to provide educational material to other instrumentalities within the UCC, including the regional conferences and local churches, so that they may also consider selective divestment.
3. Calls on CSR, also, to develop an exit strategy that defines the end of the selective divestment policy-- such as when Israel is out of the occupied territories and negotiating in good faith to develop a viable Palestinian state along guidelines similar to the unofficial Geneva Accord reached in the Fall of 2003 between Israeli and Palestinian peace representatives. Funding for the implementation of this resolution will be made in accordance with the overall mandates of the affected agencies and the funds available.
The Executive Council recommends that the resolution entitled " Selective Divestment from Companies Involved with Israel's Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, the Building of the "Security Fence," and the Israeli Settlements within Palestinian Territory" be referred to a General Synod Committee.
Sample Letter
Dear Spiritual Leaders of the United Church of Christ,
As Jews who have known discrimination, boycotts and isolation by Christian churches, we ask you to lead the United Church of Christ in rejecting the upcoming General Synod Resolutions 3, 15, and 16.
These resolutions seek to isolate Israel and deprive it of reasonable security measures through proposed church actions including divestment of church funds from companies doing business with Israel.
Why would the United Church of Christ embrace resolutions that penalize one side - Israel - without leveling equally strong criticism against the Palestinian Authority, which for example, has not dismantled Palestinian terrorist groups?
Should you not, as leaders of a human rights focused church, focus your criticism on Christian-hostile governments such as Saudi Arabia which denies women basic human rights and bans public expression by non-Muslims?
Anti-Semitism is found throughout the Arab world's media and education systems. If the General Synod passed these resolutions, they only will serve to legitimize and even make attractive the foul stench of fanaticism such as Palestinian clerics calling for genocide of Israelis - Jews and non-Jews. May we suggest that the General Synod view Palestinian Authority Television footage of Palestinian children being trained to become suicide bombers.
As you know, Israel is the Middle East's safest place for persecuted sexual minorities. As leaders of a welcoming Christian denomination, surely this must be important to you. Many Palestinians who have suffered persecution and/or threat of hate crimes for their own life style differences, have found refuge in Israel. One would hope that the UCC would be consistent with its own liberal values, and support the one country in the Middle East that upholds the freedom to be different, and serves as a beacon of tolerance for all minorities in the Middle East.
Christian faith is tied to Hebrew Scriptures. Yet through these General Synod resolutions, a small group of anti-Israel activists attempts now to demonize Israel on behalf of the entire UCC denomination. Please keep in mind too that for 57 years Israel has been a safe haven for Arab Christians.
We ask you to lead the General Synod in a strong rejection of the aforementioned and unjust resolutions.
Sincerely,
Esther Renzer, National President
Roz Rothstein, National Director
StandWithUs