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Presbyterians vote on G4S divestment printable version

19 Jun 2014: posted by the editor - United States

By Anna Baltzer
The Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) General Assembly (GA) in Detroit is to consider a series of resolutions supporting Palestinian human rights, including a historic motion to divest from three companies profiting from the Israeli occupation.

One week ago, United Methodist Kairos Response (UMKR) announced that the General Board of Pension & Health Benefits of the *United Methodist Church is divesting all church holdings in private security company G4S in response to concerns from Palestinian rights activists protesting the company's involvement with Israeli prisons.

Congratulations to all our Methodist member groups and their many allies nationwide on this extraordinary victory for justice by the largest mainline Protestant denomination in the United States!

Methodist divestment from G4S came on the heels of groundbreaking news that the Gates Foundation divested $184 million of its holdings in G4S following an international, Palestinian-led campaign.

The momentum here in Detroit is palpable. And the Presbyterians, who began their work engaging with companies involved in the Israeli occupation more than a decade ago, will decide tomorrow—Friday, June 20, 2014—whether to join the Gates Foundation and Methodist Church in standing on the right side of history.

On Monday, the PCUSA GA's Middle East committee heard passionate speeches from young Presbyterians, Palestinians, Jews, and others supporting church divestment from U.S. companies profiting from the Israeli occupation, occupation-free investing, equal rights, and more. On Tuesday, the committee voted by a more than 2-to-1 margin to recommend divestment to the GA plenary, alongside motions for ethical investment, equal rights, and a church study to reevaluate its long-time stance endorsing a two-state solution. On Wednesday, members of the Detroit Arab and Muslim American community joined GA attendees in forming a silent, human chain through the convention center and a vigil outside, showing Presbyterians what broad support stands behind them in taking action for justice. Then, just hours ago, Rifat Kassis of Kairos Palestine stood before the entire GA to ask that the church hear the strong voices of Palestinians calling for divestment.

Livestream: http://oga.pcusa.org/section/ga/ga221/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/endthe0ccupation

Tags: PCUSA, G4S, EndTheOccupation

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