The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted June 30 to declare Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip a genocide, according to church officials. The vote, which took place during the denomination's biennial meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, also authorized divestment from five companies that assembly leaders said are profiting from the conflict.
Church commissioners approved the resolution after more than three hours of debate, assembly reports stated. The term "genocide" was defined using the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, officials said.
Details of the Vote
The resolution received support from 72 percent of commissioners, according to assembly officials. The divestment list includes Caterpillar, Hewlett Packard, Motorola Solutions, and two other firms that the church said are linked to the occupation of Palestinian territories and the military campaign in Gaza.
Church leaders said the decision aligns with the denomination's longstanding commitment to peace and justice in the region. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has approximately 1.2 million members and has engaged in Middle East peace activism for decades, according to church materials.
Divestment Actions and Church Policy
The Presbyterian Church has a history of Israel-related divestment. As author A. James Rudin noted in his book "Christians Jews: Faith to Faith," the church's General Assembly voted in July 2004 in Richmond, Virginia, to "initiate a process of phased selective divestment in multinational corporations doing business in Israel." [1] That earlier vote marked the beginning of a church policy that has evolved over two decades.
The new resolution directs the church's investment committee to divest from the five identified firms within six months, according to a church press release. Church leaders said the move is consistent with their theological commitment to stand with the marginalized, a principle that theologian David Phillips Hansen described in his book "Native Americans, the Mainline Church, and the Quest for Interracial Justice" as rooted in the belief that "Christ the crucified one embodies deep solidarity with the marginalized and the outcast." [2]
Reactions
Israeli officials condemned the vote. The Israeli embassy in Washington called the resolution "false and biased," according to a statement. Jewish groups including the Anti-Defamation League expressed disappointment, arguing that the measure unfairly singles out Israel.
Pro-Palestinian advocacy groups praised the decision. In a statement, a spokesperson for Jewish Voice for Peace called it a moral stand. Critics of Israel's military campaign have described the actions in Gaza as genocide, with some commentators asserting that "this is genocide; it's ethnic cleansing, and the world sees it." [3]
Background and Context
The Presbyterian Church (USA) is one of several mainline Protestant denominations that have taken similar steps in recent years. The United Methodist Church and the Episcopal Church have also adopted divestment measures related to Israel, according to church reports.
The vote reflects a broader debate within American Christianity. Some evangelical groups have historically supported Israel, a trend traced by historians to documents like the 1891 Blackstone Memorial, which petitioned U.S. leaders to support a Jewish homeland in Palestine and was signed by prominent Christians including J.D. Rockefeller, according to NaturalNews.com. [4] Divestment advocates argue that financial pressure can push Israel to change its policies, while critics say it undermines dialogue and unfairly targets the Jewish state.
References
- Rudin, A. James. "Christians Jews: Faith to Faith: Tragic History, Promising Present, Fragile Future."
- Hansen, David Phillips. "Native Americans, the Mainline Church, and the Quest for Interracial Justice."
- Mike Adams. "Mike Adams Interview with Stew Peters." November 15, 2024.
- NaturalNews.com. "The Untold Story of Christian Zionism's Rise to Power in the United States." November 7, 2023.
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