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The 217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (2006) voted to “replace the instructions” of the 216th General Assembly (2004) on divestment with language that says "financial investments of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as they pertain to Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, [are to] be invested in only peaceful pursuits.” The action affirms that “the customary corporate engagement process of the Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) of our denomination is the proper vehicle for achieving this goal." The Assembly acknowledged the “hurt and misunderstanding” caused by the action of the 216th General Assembly, accepted responsibility for flaws in the Presbyterian process, and asked for “a new season of mutual understanding and dialogue” with affected parties.

Moderator Joan Gray and stated clerk Cliff Kirkpatrick wrote in a June 25, 2006, letter to PC(USA) congregations, “Divestment is still an option, but not the goal. Instead, this assembly broadened the focus to corporate engagement to ensure that the church's financial investments do not support violence of any kind in the region.”

The PC(USA) 2007 General Assembly Divestment List, confirmed by the Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI), supplies a comprehensive view concerning divestment and/or proscription of some corporations due to military-related production, tobacco, or human rights violations. This is the context within which any action on Israel/Palestine must fit. In relation to business practices of corporations in Israel and Palestine, MRTI announced four corporations in November 2007 with which it is concerned -- ITT Industries, Motorola, United Technologies, and Caterpillar.

An overview of the Jewish reaction in 2004, from the perspective of Reform Jews, lists problems with the 216th General Assembly actions and gives a spectrum of Jewish responses. A Jewish analysis of lessons Jews can learn from the “fight to overturn divestment” is found in an op-ed piece by Ethan Felson of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Another Jewish response comes from Jewish Voice for Peace, which notes the poor reporting about the Assembly action and says it “applauds the Presbyterians for standing fast to their principles while also showing that they are willing to go the second mile to maintain positive relationships with Jews across the spectrum of our community.”

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Renewed joint efforts

The PC(USA) stated clerk and key leaders of congregational Judaism issued a joint statement In December 2006 saying that they had turned toward a "new season of dialogue and understanding" and that they had agreed:

• to bring congregations together for fellowship / study
• to join in public policy efforts
• to work to articulate their positions on Israel and Palestine clearly and faithfully
• to recommend selected Israeli and Palestinian organizations and projects for congregational involvement and support

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Reform Judaism's Eric Yoffie (pictured) said they were not in the same place on Israel, "but the significant differences that generated so much anger . . . have been addressed.”

A list of institutions that might be supported through "positive alternatives for investing in Mid-East peace and development" was developed as a cooperative effort of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Union for Reform Judaism, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, following the December 2006 agreement. The PC(USA) web site, in offering the list, says, "No endorsement of any of these organizations is intended. However, we do encourage congregations and individuals to look into the work of these groups and to consider supporting and/or visiting them." Note the realistic comment about actual investment activity on the part of PC(USA) national entities made by the Institute for Religion and Democracy's James Berkley: " . . . neither the Board of Pensions nor the Presbyterian Foundation is at all likely to cast aside fiduciary responsibility to venture out into high-risk, low-impact investments."

A resource for joint congregational study and discussion, Open Doors, Open Minds, was prepared by the Union for Reform Judaism, and Presbyterians will find additional help for such a study in the Presbyterian Supplement created as a companion piece. See the Open Doors, Open Minds Follow-up Programming suggestions on the Reform Judaism web site

Actions of partner churches in the U.S. and others

A United Church of Christ 26th General Synod (2007) resolution directed a task force to study appropriate responses to the Israeli-Palestinian situation that "may or may not lead to further support of economic leverage and removal of the security barrier."

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 2007 churchwide assembly called for economic initiatives which could include "purchasing of products from Palestinian providers and exploration of the feasibility of refusing to buy products produced in Israeli settlements." Examination of investment activity by the ELCA was also requested, to "exclude the option of divesture." The Simon Wiesenthal Center deplored the ELCA tactics and complained that the action is one-sided. On April 7, the ELCA released a 28-minute DVD, "Peace Not Walls: Making a Difference in the Holy Land," that includes multiple voices -- Jewish and Muslim as well as Christian. It can be seen online, together with a study guide.

The United Methodist Church's General Conference (2008) rejected divestment proposals and adopted a petition that the church continue "to advocate for a peaceful settlement of the conflict … through negotiation and diplomacy rather than through methods of violence and coercion." The week earlier, one petition calling for divestment from Caterpillar was withdrawn due to progress in talks with church entities. Caterpillar has issued a statement denouncing immoral use of its equipment and agreeing to continue dialogue. The American Jewish Committee said it was glad that the "moderation" typical of its ongoing relations with UMC were present. They also applauded an action that condemned “any and all forms of evangelism which are coercive in their nature, violent in their means, or anti-Semitic in their intent.”  The UMC 2012 General Conference will hear reports on these developments, as they have progressed.

See a statement on the UMC decision by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). JVP calls itself "the leading U.S. Jewish group that promotes a solution . . . based on universal human rightsand the recognition that a solution can only be achieved through fairness to both sides." It has opened a web site, Invest in Peace, specifically designed to urge selective divestment by churches.

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel has urged an international response. most recently to its urging that persons/institutions in academia, trade unions, faith communities, arts, and sports boycott Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations.

On this web site

• Middle East Peace: issues of Middle East peace that impact Presbyterian ecumenical and interfaith relations

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