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US Presbyterian Church Divest from companies doing business with Israel
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In another victory for Palestine today the General Assembly of the United State Presbyterian Church in its 221st GA (2014) voted 310-303 in favor to divest from companies that don’t comply with the church policies of “peace making” adding today another triumph to Boycott and Divestment and Sanctions, the Palestinian non-violent civil movement pressuring Israel to comply with its international obligations as an occupier force according to the statutes of the Geneva Convention and United Nations resolutions adopted against Israel.
The GA of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) urges divestment from corporations involve in military-related production, tobacco and human rights violations. See list of companies
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In March 2002, General Assembly Clerk Clifton Kilpatrick sent a letter to Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon stating in part, “While we do not condone the acts of violence by certain Palestinian extremists, we are appalled that Israel, in response, has continued to punish the entire Palestinian population and its leaders who have been your government’s partners in the peace process.”
In its web side the Presbyterian Church announced on January 13 of this year to put in the agenda for Detroit 221st Assembly the vote to divest from companies not in compliance with the church General Assembly that since 2004 have directed Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) to use the church’s customary corporate engagement process to ensure that church investments are made only in companies engaged in peaceful pursuits in Israel, the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
“After years of corporate engagement through 2013 and utilizing all tools that we had available to us, these three companies remain entrenched in their involvement in non-peaceful pursuits, and regrettably show no signs of their behavior changing. If anything, since the 2012 General Assembly these companies have deepened their involvement with non-peaceful pursuits that make the General Assembly’s goal of a just peace even more remote,” said Elizabeth Terry Dunning, MRTI committee chair.
The General Assembly military-related divestment policy was first adopted in 1982, and has been revised three times since then.The most recent revision was made by the 1998 General Assembly. This policy is an outgrowth of the General Assembly’s adoption of Peacemaking: A Believer’s Calling, which asked the entire church to review its witness and seek additional ways to promote peacemaking.
At its 221st General Assembly minutes the church voted 310-303 in favor to divest from Caterpillar, which provides heavy equipment that has been used by Israel to demolish Palestinians’ homes and build roads for illegal settlements on occupied land; and Motorola Solutions and Hewlett Packard, both of which provide high-technology products and services such as surveillance systems and biometric scanners at checkpoints.BD
I am an American Jew that has witnessed first-hand the oppression of the Palestinian people. I spent three months in Nablus in the West Bank. While I was there, I experienced the humiliation these people go through every day just to get to work or visit family in the villages. They have no freedom of movement. There are hundreds of checkpoints scattered between cities in the West Bank, making what should be half hour commutes take up to two hours. This has nothing to do with protection and security for Israel. Most of the check points are not even on the border with Israel. What is happening is an apartheid state where one ethnicity is allowed more rights and Boycott Divestment and Sanctions worked during apartheid in South Africa and we can make it work now! Abby Harms comment on Presbyterian Church forum at Docket 221st General Assembly
The Presbyterian Church through its transformational Investment project in Palestine seeks to support collaboration, minimize Palestinian dependence on others investing in West Bank.
The investment objective is to increase the potential viability of a Palestinian State at peace with Israel……Read more
BDS logo
The global movement for a campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights was initiated by Palestinian civil society in 2005, and is coordinated by the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), established in 2007. BDS is a strategy that allows people of conscience to play an effective role in the Palestinian struggle for justice
Journalist arrested by Israeli Soldiers
The local popular committee said in a statement that it held Israeli forces responsible for the journalist’s well-being, and it condemned a series of arrests and invasions of the village’s homes, in the last 3 years they have been more than 500 incidents, that have resulted in 64 arrests.
“All these policies aim to pressure the Palestinians and kill Palestinian resistance, but we will never stop. We will keep fighting and struggling against the occupation,” the statement said.According to a Palestinian media advocacy group, Israeli forces have committed 559 violations against media freedoms in the West Bank and Gaza in the last four years.
Look that beautiful Smile, we say; “Who does not own anything, should not fear anything” 🙂 Being arrested on January 23, 2011
“Since December 2009, when An Nabi Saleh began their non-violent protests against the continued stealing of their land by the illegal Israeli colony of Halamish, more than 13% of the village’s residents – 64 people – have been arrested and jailed as of 31 March 2011. All but three were tried for participating in the non-violent demonstrations. Of those imprisoned, 29 have been minors under the age of 18 years and 4 have been women” Read More on Nabi Saleh Solidarity and Resistance Committee in their Web Blogs,
The New Resistance Thread to Israel – Peace Lovers
Posted on July 08, 2011 by Marivel Guzman
Israel You lose, We Win. Palestine Wins.
Israel you’re finding enemies in every citizen of the world. The New Non-Violent Movement is causing a roar in your Intelligence and logistic centers, you do not know how to proceed with this “New Thread”.
Peace Activists around the world are holding you by the horns.
Now finally the rest of the world is noticing your true colors Israel, those hues of madness never seen before. For years you managed to escape the public opinion using all type of Propaganda money can buy.
Since you were created Israel using the twisting of history, the invention of stories, the classic victim hood, you surrounded yourself by a untouchable frame of goodness that no one could break. The stream media for years was your best ally disseminating all type of lies conveniently structured to look as unshakable truth.
Oh Israel!, You have succumbed to your own lies and machinations; your own actions are your worse enemy and judge.
Finally “We the People” can see you as the true culprit. You can not deny the truth any longer, as your own behavior have betrayed you.
The peace activists; the compassionate people of the world is your worse nightmare. You have made them your worse enemy. You see them worse than armed militants–armed with cameras and laptops they are more dangerous to you than a loaded rifle or a bomb.
You have your “experts” thinking how to disarm this bomb. But this bomb is different from the ones you make, this bomb does not have red wires to cut, this device that you are so afraid of can not be back engineered.
You can hear the tic tac hurting your ears, you can feel the tic tac ready to explode on your face.
What are you doing Israel? You can not kill them all, you certainly tried, and you have “assassinated” dozens of them. But seems that Rachel Corries seeds are like weed in a fertile soil. You could not had planned for this, your hands are tied up in front of the world.
Now we are laughing at you. You thought you were wining? Right?, you though that you have covered all the lose ends? you did not think that Love was going to kill you, did you?.
Awaken love of humanity have done to you what armies could not do in more than 60 years.
You can stop a few, but you can not stop the world from seen the real you. The whole world is your enemy. How many can you kill?, how many more stories can you invent? How many more resolutions you will ignore before they come for you?
Israel You lose, We Win. Palestine Wins.
It is matter of time that you accept your defeat. You did not see yourself running like crazy, asking the puppets to help you. You did not see yourself with your classic tantrums yelling mad at the world at the signs of global outrage. Did you?
Now the question remains, When?
When will you Israel quietly go to the lines of the story you invented?
The simplest way will be, the same way that you came. Maybe a pen will help you, a few signatures will do. 🙂
Do not worry Israel, the world was fine without you, we will be fine after you go.
Finally we will have peace. You become an enemy of the people. You become a thread to the world.
Israel You lose, We Win. Palestine Wins.
The beginning of your End starts Today. The world is standing with Palestine.
Palestine is an undefeated Nation. Her martyrs are fertilizing the soil; with blood, with flesh, with memories, . They defeated you Israel, they defeated you even after their death.
Israel You lose, We Win. Palestine Wins.
Do you think the world can forget these images?
You dug your own grave Israel. Every Palestinian massacre added inches to your hole. There is no more PR campaign than can save you from being wipe out of the Map.
Israel You lose, We Win. Palestine Wins.
Israel You lose, We Win. Palestine Wins.
RT crew filmed the arrest of pro-Gaza activists, who were detained for chanting “Free Palestine”. Police in Israel detained several activists who arrived at Tel Aviv’s international airport on Friday to show their support for activists arriving from abroad to take part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Every one of your actions speak a thousands stories against you.
Israel You lose, We Win. Palestine Wins.
The arrested protesters arrived in Tel Aviv from elsewhere in Israel. It comes as first Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists are being blocked in their attempts to reach Gaza by air and defy Israeli policies. Many are being stopped at European airports, while two American campaigners have been deported upon arrival in Tel Aviv. The move comes a week after a flotilla of a dozen ships bound for Gaza were prevented from leaving port in Greece.
Israel You lose, We Win. Palestine Wins.
Israel You lose, We Win. Palestine Wins.
Israel You lose, We Win. Palestine Wins. Long Live Free Palestine
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