For Immediate Release — June 12, 2014 — Presbyterian Church (USA) to Debate Selective Divestment from Israeli Occupation Again at Biennial GA in Detroit

This Saturday, the 221st biennial General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will open in Detroit, Michigan. Once again, a series of resolutions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be debated, including divestment from three US companies that profit from Israeli abuses of Palestinian human rights: Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions.

The 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was held from June 14-21, 2014 at the COBO Center in Detroit, Michigan. Follow this page to see IPMN events held at GA and our advocacy materials and educational information pertaining to the overtures on Middle East issues.

On May 9, 2014, the Ecumenical and Interreligious Work Group (EIWG) of the Presbytery of Chicago issued a discussion paper titled “Perspectives on Presbyterian Church (USA) Support for a Just and Peaceful Compromise of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” EIWG, an independently functioning work group currently composed of eight members, does not speak for the Chicago Presbytery or the PC(USA). While IPMN applauds the good intentions that appear to have driven the creation of the “Perspectives” document, IPMN strongly disputes many of its conclusions and publishes here in one location five critical responses to the EIWG document generated by key interested organizations and individuals.

March 3, 2014 — The Israel/Palestine Mission Network (IPMN) of the PC(USA) is compelled to respond to a statement issued by the Ecumenical and Interreligious Work Group (EIWG) of Chicago Presbytery on February 26. We dispute the characterizations contained therein of IPMN and its recent publication, Zionism Unsettled.

Jan 24, 2014 - The Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) welcomes and supports the report of the Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee (MRTI) with its recommendation to the Presbyterian Church to stop profiting from Israel’s military occupation of Palestine. MRTI has once again called upon the PC(USA) and its 221st General Assembly, meeting in June 2014, to divest all its holdings from Caterpillar Inc., Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions, declaring that these companies are profiting from non-peaceful pursuits in Palestine. The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board will need to approve MRTI’s report when it meets February 5th and forward the recommendation to the General Assembly (GA) in Detroit.

Press Release - January 13, 2014 — The Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is pleased to announce the publication of its newest educational resource, Zionism Unsettled: A Congregational Study Guide. This Study Guide is a condensed and edited version of a longer book entitled Zionism and the Quest for Justice in the Holy Land which will be published in 2014 by Pickwick Publications, an imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers.