NEW YORK — 9/13/11 — In June 2004 the Rev. Dr. Glenn Dickson (honorably retired), then pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Gainesville, Florida drove all night to Richmond, Virginia to testify the next day before the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), its highest governing body, in support of an overture from his congregation requesting that the denomination divest of its holdings in Caterpillar, Inc. 

In a letter dated August 4, 2011, PC(USA) Stated Clerk, The Reverend Gradye Parsons expressed concern to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the Boycott Law recently passed by the Israeli Knesset. In it, Parsons states: “This law deals a severe blow to free speech and the freedoms of opinion and expression. While it does not provide for criminal charges against individuals or groups publicly calling for a boycott against Israel or any area under its control, it allows for civil suits claiming financial damages. This will have a dampening effect on freedom and democracy.”

Imagine for a moment if at the height of apartheid the South African government passed a law that outlawed boycott and divestment in support of oppressed blacks and coloreds in that nation…

Imagine if the Nestle Corporation had succeeded in convincing the Swiss government to allow it to seek reparations from any Church or human rights organization that called for boycott because of the harmful way that company marketed infant formula to poor women in the least developed nations of the world…

Once again, the Simon Wiesenthal Center has waged another shameless attack on concerned Christians who work ceaselessly towards peace and justice in Israel Palestine. This time it comes in response to the release of the Kairos Palestine Document Study Guide that was recently published by a special committee of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.

NEW YORK — May 21, 2011 — President Obama’s preemptive speech of May 19th on U.S. Mideast policy fell far short of what is required to act as a broker for peace. While the Israel/Palestine Mission Network (IPMN) is pleased that President Obama has re-engaged in the pursuit of peace for the Middle East, we are disappointed that the president’s speech lacked any concrete steps for either party to take. It is well known that the differences in this conflict are far too great to be breached without a third party, and the U.S. is the only third party who has the power to pressure both the Israelis and the Palestinians towards concessions. In advance of the Israeli prime minister speaking to a joint session of congress, this was the moment for President Obama to lay out concrete steps that each side must take, and it is a great shame that he chose to speak only rhetorically.

The Israel Palestine Mission Network joins the Stated Clerk of the PC(USA), as well as other peace seeking organizations and religious communities in condemning the act of violence that occurred when a bomb was detonated near a bus station in Jerusalem on March 23rd. We also join J Street in stating that “the security of Israel depends on ending the conflict with the Palestinian people through a two-state solution.” The recent escalation of violence against the Palestinian community is also of grave concern to us, especially as those deaths do not get equal coverage in our media. We call upon people of all faiths to pray for the victims of the Jerusalem bus bombing as well as those innocent civilians, including children, who were killed in Gaza this week. We pray for the de-escalation of attitudes and rhetoric that leads to a perpetual cycle of violence.