Anglicans Vote to Divest From Concerns in Israel-Occupied Areas

[Scurrilous]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/09/international/europe/09anglicans.html

<snip>

"The governing body of the Church of England voted Monday evening to divest from any corporations that it contends support Israel's activities in Gaza and the West Bank, a move sharply criticized by Jewish groups in Britain and the United States.

The resolution is to "heed the call from our sister church, the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, for morally responsible investment in the Palestinian occupied territories and, in particular, to disinvest from companies profiting from the illegal occupation, such as Caterpillar Inc., until they change their policies."

The Most Rev. Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the 77 million Anglicans, sided with the synod in its vote, which came as a surprise to many.

The idea of divestiture was ushered in almost two years ago by the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. at its annual meeting, straining relations between Presbyterians and Jews."

[Wordie]

1. Excellent...I hope this brings lots of attention to the realities of the

Israeli occupation. And I hope that more American churches will follow.

[tatertop]

2. I hope you are right

[Tom Joad]

3. Presbyterian church is already doing this.

http://www.pcusa.org/stepstowardpeace/

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) believes that God wants justice and peace on earth. And so we believe that, as people of God, we are called to work for justice and peace. Justice includes a commitment to human rights; support for those who seek dignity, freedom, and respect; and the exercise of power for the common good. Violence, terrorism, and occupation are enemies of justice and must cease. In the face of increasing suffering and injustice, our church has held true to its calling and has taken steps toward a just and lasting peace in Israel and Palestine.

One action that the PC(USA) has initiated in an effort to seek peace is a phased, selective process of divestment with corporations whose practices support the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, assist the construction of the Separation Barrier, or facilitate Israelis or Palestinians with violent acts against innocent civilians.

[Wordie]

5. Thanks...

I hadn't realized the Presbyterians had actually done so. I thought it was a measure still under consideration with them. I'm glad to see I was incorrect in this. Kudos to them for a courageous stand.

[Coastie for Truth]

4. BRITISH PETROLEUM HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR 19 YEARS

IN THEIR HR POLICIES.

[Englander]

6. "LOOK!! OVER THERE!!!!" N/T!

[Coastie for Truth]

8. So, may I assume that in addition to approving of divestment

1. You approve of violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, etc. That's is very close to the Bush Neocon "workplace law" policy of Mister Justice Sam Alito, Jr.

2. Might I also assume that you disapprove of the "Close The Placement Office" policy of many American universities, e.g.,

*The policy that was used to "put teeth" into "Affirmative Action" in the Late 1960's - "If you don't practice Affirmative Action - Our University Placement Services are not available to you."
*The policy that was used by American Universities against Apartheid.
*The policy that America's Law Schools are using against the military's "anti-GLBT" policies.

3. Might I also assume that you also disapprove of the Unitarian Universalist Community's policy of holding onto their shares and proceeding by

*Voting against incumbent management, and
*Shareholder initiatives, and
*Shareholder Derivative Law Suits.

Back to the little guy -- <>

[Englander]

9. Assume whatever you like.

You'll be wrong, as per.
Thanks for the non-sequiters, ad hominems, & logical fallacies, btw.
I counted half-a-dozen, I think, at least.

[Englander]

7. Church votes to sell off shares in Caterpillar

Stephen Bates, religious affairs correspondent
Tuesday February 7, 2006
The Guardian

The Church of England's general synod - including the Archbishop of Canterbury - voted last night to disinvest church funds from companies profiting from Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.

The main target of the plan will be the US earth-moving equipment company Caterpillar which has supplied vehicles used by Israel to demolish Palestinian homes. When the worldwide Anglican communion called for such a move, at a meeting last summer, there followed protests from Israel and Jewish groups. The church currently invests about £2.5m of its £900m share portfolio in Caterpillar and had been engaged in negotiations with the company about its activities. Caterpillar insists it has not provided the earth movers directly to Israel but to the US military which sold them on.

So passionate was the debate that it squeezed out an equally contentious decision last Friday by the Church commissioners, managers of the church's investment and property portfolio, to sell off the century-old Octavia Hill housing estates for more than 1,000 poor tenants in south London to property developers.

On the first day of its meeting in London, the general synod, the church's parliament, heard denunciations of Israel's use of the machines from one of its own bishops and from the Anglican bishop of Jerusalem, who is Palestinian, whose letter was read out.

The Rt Rev John Gladwin, Bishop of Chelmsford, who is chairman of Christian Aid, told the meeting that the problem in the Middle East was the government of Israel rather than Caterpillar but that it was vital that the church should invest only in organisations which behaved ethically.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1704045,00.html

http://www.catdestroyshomes.org/index.php

[Behind the Aegis]

10. Do see...

Archbishop apologizes for divestment

[Violet_Crumble]

11. I can understand why it came as a surprise...

The Most Rev. Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the 77 million Anglicans, sided with the synod in its vote, which came as a surprise to many.

One of the many, many reasons why I turned my back on the Anglican church was its weak as piss attitude towards issues that were important to me. No spine, no soul, and no balls, as far as I was concerned, so at least from where I stand I don't give a toss what the Anglican church does. It should be governments that are making decisions like this anyway. But a lack of balls and spine isn't confined to the Anglican church, I guess...

Violet...

[Englander]

12. More boycott news;

British architects plan barrier boycott

By Esther Zandberg

In London this past weekend, Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine (APJP) published a call to impose a boycott on construction companies involved in building the separation fence and the settlements in the occupied territories in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Leading architects are among the members and supporters of the organization, including the theoreticians and architectural critics Charles Jencks and Michael Sorkin, and architect Lord Richard Rogers, who hosted the organization's founding convention in his London office on February 2.

This is the first time since the boycott against South Africa in the 1960s that such a measure has been considered in Great Britain in the field of planning and construction. Rogers also supported the protest movement against the apartheid regime in South Africa at the time, alongside architect Abe Hayeem, one of the founders of an organization for justice in Palestine, who is also responsible for coordinating APJP activities. The organization's declaration of intent caused reverberations in the British media and in professional publications.

The declaration that was formulated after the organization's first meeting stated, among other things: "We hold all design and construction professionals involved in projects that appropriate land and natural resources from Palestinian territory to be complicit in social, political and economic oppression and to be contrary to internationally acceptable professional ethics."

Rogers himself said that he will not support the economic boycott, but will consider targeted activities; Jencks said that he will support a general boycott against work in Israel, because "We can't stand back and be complicit in what has become an impossible situation for professionals." Hayeem says, "We are not saying we will boycott Israeli architects - it is institutions which will be 'spotlighted' or 'pressured' as not being outspoken to effect a change in policy. It is Israeli architects and planners there who should be more outspoken as well."

In a telephone interview from London over the weekend, Hayeem said that the organization had still not consolidated methods of operation, and it is considering steps to expose companies in Britain and in the European Union that supply building materials for the construction of settlements and the separation fence and then issue a call to boycott them. By coincidence, earlier this week, the Church of England's general synod voted to divest church funds from companies profiting from Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territory. The main target of the plan will be Caterpillar, whose diggers have been used to demolish Palestinian homes.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/681935.html