February 18, 2006

What the Synod said and what the Chief Rabbi said it said

Have a look at this article in the Jewish Chronicle by the Chief Rabbi. See this bit:
Locally there was the vote of the synod of the Church of England to heed a call to divest from companies associated with Israel
And this:
The vote of the synod of the Church of England to “heed” a call to divestment from certain companies associated with Israel was ill-judged even on its own terms.
Now look at what the Synod actually said:
(a) 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;

(b) encourage the Ethical Investment Advisory Group to follow up the consultation referred to in its Report (GS 1604) with intensive discussions with Caterpillar Inc, with a view to its withdrawing from supplying or maintaining either equipment or parts for use by the state of Israel in demolishing Palestinian homes &c;

(c) in the light of the urgency of the situation, and the increased support needed by Palestinian Christians, urge members of the EIAG to actively engage with monitoring the effects of Caterpillar Inc's machinery in the Palestinian occupied territories through visiting the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East to learn of their concerns first hand, and to see recent house demolitions;

(d) urge the EIAG to give weight to the illegality under international law of the activities in which Caterpillar Inc's equipment is involved; and

(e) urge the EIAG to respond to the monitoring visit and the further discussions with Caterpillar Inc by updating its recommendations in the light of these.’
Note how, at its most general, the motion is "to disinvest from companies profiting from the illegal occupation." But reading the whole thing it is clearly aimed at Caterpillar in particular and then because of the use of its bullbozers in the commission of Israeli war crimes in the occupied territories. Nowhere does th Chief Rabbi mention either Caterpillar or the occupation.

So now if you refuse to invest in Israeli war crimes you are stoking the flames of antisemitism.

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