(AP) Patrick Condon - Presbyterian leaders Friday in Minneapolis approved by an 82% vote a report that included a call to end U.S. aid to Israel unless the country stops settlement expansion. The 172-page report details the church's approach to issues in the Middle East. The Anti-Defamation League said the report managed to "avoid a rupture with Jewish people, but bias against Israel continues." The Simon Wiesenthal Center said the report "takes definite sides in a complex struggle." In 2004, the church's general assembly voted to authorize "phased selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel." That stance has since been softened, and this year delegates voted down an amendment that would have put divestment back on the table. "There are many longtime friends in the Jewish community who believe this report misstates Jewish theology and misquotes the Jewish voice," said the Rev. Susan Zencka. "We have come to a position of Palestine good, Israel bad. Life is not that simple."
2010-07-12 09:58:55Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive