The misguided focus of the Israel Divestment movement

The misguided focus of the Israel Divestment movement




I was reading the news this morning and saw that the Presbyterian Church USA rejected a proposal to divest from companies whose products are used by Israel to enforce occupation of the West Bank. While the decision was rejected it was by a hairbreadth vote of 333-331.


Proponents of divestment wanted the PCUSA to drop the church’s $20 million combined stake in Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions, and Hewlett-Packard.


The vote brings PCUSA into line with other mainline U.S. Protestant denominations that have rejected divestment. The United Methodist Church voted in May not to divest from Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions, the same three companies targeted by PCUSA. The Evangelical Lutheran Church rejected divestment in 2007 and 2011.


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Reading these news about the recent vote on Israel related divestment, it seems that those in the BDS (Boycott, Divestment) movement live in a different planet.


Have they not read about Assad butchering his people in Syria? Have they not read about Iran's blunt human rights violations?


And how is divesting from companies like HP and Caterpillar going to advance the Palestinian cause? Is that money going to go towards helping the Palestinians? of course not..


I mean, the BDS movement didn't even suggest divestment from Israeli companies..


This disproportionate focus on Israel, while systematically ignoring massive human rights violations in countries like Syria and Iran, only leads to the contempt and degradation of the peace process.


Boycott is not the means to achieve peace. To do that you need two sides willing to move forward towards peace.


Israel has proved once and again it is all for peace. Israel withdrew from Gaza in a one sided decision 6 years ago and has offered the Palestinians the best peace deal they could realistically expect.


But the Palestinians actions draw a different picture of their intent. The Palestinians turned down statehood on the four occasions detailed plans were proposed to create one – in 1937, 1947, 2000 and 2008.


The Palestinian Authority honors terrorists and incite for hate and terror from early age. The Palestinian Authority's official television station last month honored terrorists whose bodies were handed over in a goodwill gesture by Israel. The Palestinian Authority (PA) had held a special burial ceremony for the suicide bombers.


While it is regretful we were not able to reach a peaceful agreement to date, it's not Israel's fault and it's not the "occupation". So I suggest the BDS folks start looking elsewhere and stop this disproportionate focus on Israel.


http://www.giyus.org/2012/07/the-misguided-focus-of-the-israel-divestment-movement.html