San Joaquin calls for
neutrality on Middle East issues
The Layman, February 24, 2010
While the Presbyterian Church (USA) is feeling the heat for seemingly “taking sides” in the Israeli-Arab conflict, the San Joaquin Presbytery has advanced an overture to the General Assembly calling on the denomination to take a neutral approach.
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The “Middle East Peacemaking” proposal was approved on Feb. 6, and requires the GA to answer all overtures concerning Israel and Palestine with the following statement:
“The Arab/Israeli conflict presents an unprecedented level of complexity amid constantly changing political conditions in the region. Thus, the best course of action for the Presbyterian Church (USA) is to defer from positions or policy statements that appear to favor either side in the conflict.”
It also calls for PCUSA to use its “limited” resources to:
- Offer our prayers to God for the success of all peaceful efforts;
- Support peacemakers who encourage tolerance and reconciliation;
- Advocate for the process of establishing a step-by-step, negotiated two-state Israel/Palestine solution;
- Condemn all acts of terrorism and unwarranted violence;
- Provide humanitarian assistance to innocent victims of the conflict.
San Joaquin approved the overture ahead of recommendations by a Middle East peace study team, which is expected to call for a boycott of Israel, the return of Palestinians to occupied areas and the embracing of a pro-Palestinian statement. The unreleased report to GA already has been criticized by a leading Jewish rights organization as not balanced or fair.
If approved by the 219th GA, which meets July 3-10 in Minneapolis, Minn., the San Joaquin overture would require a new approach to anti-Israel overtures such as the Presbytery of Newark’s call for divestment from Caterpillar, Inc. If passed, the Newark overture would instruct the Presbyterian Foundation and Board of Pensions to divest its interest in Caterpillar and not reinvest in the company, which is based in Illinois, until the PCUSA’s Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee (MRTI) is satisfied the company is no longer selling equipment used to harm Palestinians. This overture also will be considered by the GA when it meets this summer.
“We know that by taking such action we hurt the feelings and spirits of some who we call our fellow Presbyterian brothers and sisters, as well as the people of God outside of our fold,” the rationale states. “We recommend such action with profound humility, confession of our brokenness as a human race, and with an ongoing desire for reconciliation even in the face of serious disagreement. In light of the reality that we are called to address injustice and oppression in this world in the name of Jesus Christ, the internal work of healing that we must do within our denominational fellowship and outside of it is both our burden and obligation as we carry forth this work.”
The Presbytery of Great Rivers is an example of the “brothers and sisters” who could be hurt by the action. Great Rivers has presented a statement of impact, which was shared with the General Assembly Mission Council for its meetings this week in Louisville, Ky. Among its concerns are that Caterpillar does not make products that meet the criteria for divestment and that many members of its churches are directly linked to the company in some way.
“In one of our largest and fastest growing churches in Peoria (Ill.), 30 percent of the members are currently employed by Caterpillar or its subsidiaries,” the statement says. “We believe (divesting in Caterpillar) will have devastating consequences. One session has said that it will find it difficult to pay per capita (much of which is made up of money that has come as salary or investment income from Caterpillar) to a denomination that will not accept money in the form of investment income from the same company. If the PCUSA divests from Caterpillar, they are considering ‘divesting’ from the denomination. … There will undoubtedly be calls for congregations to find a denomination with which to affiliate that does not take this attitude toward their employer.”
Caterpillar is the world’s largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment. The 100-year-old East Peoria, Ill.-based company employs 16,000 locally and 90,000 around the world, according to the Associated Press.