PCUSA Having Second Thoughts on Israel

I've been critical of the Presbyterian Church USA on many previous occasions because they seem to wish to walk lock-step with every lefty cause that comes along. One of those causes was the divestment of funds from Israel due to Israel's decision to build the wall in Gaza. It looks like some within the church are having second thoughts:

A Presbyterian group - the Committee to End Divestment Now (CEDN) - is working to correct what it says was a mistake made in 2004 by the 216th General Assembly of that church - a resolution calling for "a process of phased selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel."

The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (PCUSA) has 2.3 million members from the 50 states and Puerto Rico. It has been involved with missions to the Middle East for more than 150 years.

The now disputed mandate to explore the punitive divestment was tied at the time to the church's resolution calling for immediate and unconditional removal of the security barrier constructed by the Israelis as a defense against Palestinian suicide bombers and snipers.

Furthermore, the Israeli occupation was condemned by the 216th General Assembly as "the root of evil acts committed against innocent people on both sides of the conflict."

Such rhetoric has calmed.

"We believe that the Presbyterian Church is at heart a much more fair and wise organization than these 2004 resolutions would indicate," says CEDN board member Jim Roberts. "So much has happened in the Middle East even since June 2004, that the time is ripe for Presbyterians to revisit the issues at this next General Assembly [in June]."

There have been a few world events which make the 2004 resolution look pretty dumb:

According to its Web site, CEDN leaders maintain that the 2004 actions look ever worse with the passage of time, in the context of recent political events in the Middle East since July 2004.

Noted is that the President of Iran has in recent months called for Israel to be wiped off the face of the earth, contended that the Holocaust never happened, and defiantly moved forward with the development of a nuclear weapons program as well as building a missile system capable of targeting Israel.

In contrast, points out CDEN, Israeli President Ariel Sharon, at great political and personal risk, successfully completed a peaceful disengagement from Gaza, despite widespread opposition within Israel.

The Palestinians, on the other hand, argues CDEN, in January 2006, gave Hamas 58 percent of their votes and 74 of 132 legislative council seats. Hamas has, for many years, been listed by the European Union, Canada, and the United States as a terrorist organization.

"It is quite obvious that continued mindless Presbyterian adherence to its 2004 resolutions in the context of these and other developments in the Middle East will further damage our denomination's credibility and witness," concludes a CDEN press release.

It is yet to be seen whether this dissident group within the PCUSA will have enough clout to change the 2004 resolution. I've read in many different articles and blogs about the general dissatisfaction within the rank-and-file Presbyterians, causing many to leave the church altogether. That pace may pick up if the church fails to undo their 2004 mistake.