ORLANDO, FL -- The Mennonite Church USA voted yesterday to sell off its holdings in companies that profit from what the church described as the “Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.” The decision was made in Orlando at a national Mennonite convention, which represented 75,000 church members.
While the resolution condemns anti-Semitism, encourages stronger ties between church members and Jews, and endorses a review of how Mennonites responded to the Holocaust, it also directs managers of the 3 billion dollar Everence church fund to screen holdings to avoid any economic support for “Israeli policies in the occupied territories.”
Such votes by the Mennonite Church and other religious groups are occurring as the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS) is gaining strength on U.S. college campuses and elsewhere as a means of delegitimizing Israel. The founder and leaders of the BDS movement are clear in their intent – they want to destroy Israel. It is anti-Semitic at its core.
“The resolution of the Mennonite Church USA is confusing and contradictory,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel and President of Christians in Defense of Israel. “On the one hand, it purports to oppose anti-Semitism. But on the other hand, it supports anti-Semitic divestment in what it erroneously calls ‘occupied territories.’ Israel is the only free and democratic country in the Middle East. Israel has more legitimate and historical right to its land than any country in the world. Israel is thousands of years old. Jews have lived in the land for millennia. The divestment resolution is both anti-Semitic and unwise. Israel is a leader in economy and a world leader in technology, business, agriculture and more. Divesting in Israel will only harm those who divest,” said Staver.
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
