Contact: Jennifer Sheran, 404-374-0593
CHICAGO, June 28, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following statement responds to an upcoming vote at the Presbyterian Church USA's June 30 - July 7 General Assembly on its divestment from the Motorola Solutions, Hewlett-Packard and Caterpillar corporations because of services they provide in Israel and to the Israeli government:
"As the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) General Assembly revisits a tired resolution to divest from companies doing business with Israel, we call on its delegates to reject again this measure, which is based on a false narrative of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and to instead condemn oppression of fellow Christians in the Middle East.
"Time and again, under the guise of 'peacemaking,' mainline churches in the U.S. have focused their energies on criticizing Israel, while ignoring the gross human rights abuses that occur daily in the countries neighboring the Jewish state.
"Had the vocal segment of the PCUSA that is pushing divestment chosen to focus on the brutal oppression of Christians in the Middle East, it might have done something useful. Today, Coptic Christians are facing an increasingly dire situation in Egypt, which has just elected an Islamist president. In Iraq, church bombings by radical Islamists that result in mass casualties occur nearly every week. We're also seeing what a Catholic news agency recently called 'ongoing ethnic cleansing of Christians' by radical Islamists in Syria.
"But the PCUSA supporters of divestment have instead chosen to single out Israel -- the Middle East's only democracy, a country where not just Jews, but Christians, Muslims and Druze enjoy equal rights and full protection under the law -- for criticism. By doing so, they reveal much about their own biases, but do nothing to protect human rights and religious freedom in the Middle East." -- Jim Jewell, chief program officer of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
About The Fellowship (www.ifcj.org)
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) is the world's largest channel of Christian support for Israel and the charity distributing the most aid in Israel annually. Founded in 1983 as an effort to promote better understanding and cooperation between Christians and Jews, The Fellowship today is also a prominent force for helping Israel and Jews in need worldwide. The Fellowship, led by founder and president Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, has offices in Jerusalem, Chicago, Toronto, Seoul and Queensland, Australia, and raises more than $110 million per year -- the large majority from Christians -- to assist Israel and the Jewish people through extensive aid programs and a robust advocacy network. Connect with The Fellowship's Twitter handle for media @IFCJnews (twitter.com/IFCJnews).
