"Do these Presbyterian and United Methodist officials believe that punishing Caterpillar, Motorola or Hewlett Packard will help create a peace in the Middle East?" -- IRD President Mark Tooley

Contact: Jeff Walton, Institute on Religion and Democracy, 202-682-4131, 202-413-5639 cell, jwalton@TheIRD.org 

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- A committee charged with making recommendations on investments held by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) recently has advised that the denomination's General Assembly divest from three firms doing business with Israel. The United Methodist General Board of Church and Society has advised the same.

The PCUSA Committee on Mission Responsibility through Investment (MRTI), with the Methodist group, singled out Motorola, Hewlett Packard and Caterpillar as targets for divestment.

In 2006 the PCUSA governing General Assembly overturned previous endorsement of anti-Israel divestment. In 2008, the General Assembly instructed Presbyterians not to over-identify with one side in the struggle. Polls of Presbyterian lay people and clergy show most rejecting that the PCUSA be an advocate for any one side. The governing United Methodist General Conference overwhelmingly rejected anti-Israel divestment in 2008. Both denominational conventions meet next year and will now revisit the issue.

Similar anti-Israel divestment actions have been rejected by other denominations.

IRD President Mark Tooley commented:

"Do these Presbyterian and United Methodist officials believe that punishing Caterpillar, Motorola or Hewlett Packard will help create a peace in the Middle East?

"Radical activists influential in oldline denominations always portray Israel as the chief obstacle to Middle East peace, and by extension, the United States as directly complicit through its support of Israel.

"Church agencies should strive for fairness. Targeting Israel as the Middle-East's unique villain, while virtually ignoring grossly repressive regimes, terrorism and radical Islam, is a disservice to church members and to the wider public.

"Both the PCUSA and United Methodist agencies backing anti-Israel divestment are heavily influenced by small factions of activists not representing the wider church. Hopefully mainstream opinion in these churches will reject anti-Israel divestment, which likely would only enhance Middle East tension and further postpone meaningful peace."

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