Lists of Churches and Organizations Supporting Action Against Illegal Settlements

Global Support for Boycotting Settlement Products
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European Action

Denmark's largest bank, Danske Bank, has blacklisted Israeli Bank Hapoalim because it finances construction of illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank.

European Banks Boycott Israeli Banks Because of 'Settlements'

European Union Slams Israel with Boycotts

Churches Taking Economic Action

International Ecumenical Church Bodies Taking Economic Action
Toward a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel (As of August 2012)

The United Church of Canada approved a policy which calls for economic action, among other things, to deal with the question of boycotting products
from illegal Israeli settlements at GC41 (2012). It did not call for actions to boycott products from Israel or divestment.

A campaign of education and action was launched in November 2013: Unsettling Goods: Choose Peace in Palestine and Israel

Church	Boycott Settlement Products	General Boycott	Divestment	Other
World Council of Churches	Yes¹	No vote	No vote
National Council of Churches in Australia	Yes²	No vote	No vote
Mennonite USA	No vote	No vote	No vote	In a 2007 letter to congregations, encourages “Church institutions to gain greater understanding of their investments in this region and to avoid investments which violate international law and promote violence. We encourage exploring ways investments might be used to provide hope and promote peace in this region.”³
PCUSA	Yes⁴	No vote	No⁵
Episcopal USA	No vote	No⁶	No⁷
American Friends USA	No vote	No vote	Yes⁸
United Methodist Church USA	Yes⁹	No vote	No¹⁰
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America	No vote	No vote	No¹¹
Quakers UK	Yes¹²	No vote	No vote	Called for the UK Government to ban Israeli settlement goods¹³
Methodist UK	Yes¹⁴	No vote	No vote
Church of England	No vote	No vote	Yes15

Footnotes

http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/wcc-commissions/international-affairs/regional-concerns/middle- east/resolution-on-ecumenicalresponse-to-the-palestinian-israeli-conflict.html and http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/central-committee/geneva-2009/reports-anddocuments/report-on-public-issues/statement-on-israeli-settlements-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory.html?print=1print%3D1
http://www.ncca.org.au/forums/7th-national-forum/566-resolutions
http://peace.mennolink.org/resources/palestineletter/index.html In a 2007 letter to congregations, encourages “Church institutions to gain greater understanding of their investments in this region and to avoid investments which violate international law and promote violence. We encourage exploring ways investments might be used to provide hope and promote peace in this region.”
http://www.pcusa.org/resource/assemby-brief-220th-general-assembly-2012/ and http://www.israelpalestinemissionnetwork.org/main/component/content/article/18/228-pcusa-fails-to-pass-divestment-motion
http://www.pcusa.org/resource/assemby-brief-220th-general-assembly-2012/
http://www.israelpalestinemissionnetwork.org/main/component/content/article/18/228-pcusa-fails-to-pass-divestment-motion
http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/07/27/conventions-bold-and-unifying-call-to-israeli-palestinian-peace/
http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/07/27/conventions-bold-and-unifying-call-to-israeli-palestinian-peace/
http://afsc.org/resource/afscs-israel-palestine-investment-screen-and-tiaa-cref-divestment-campaign). The text reads:“Investments should not be made in any company that provides products or services, including financial services, to Israeli governmental or military bodies that are used to facilitate or undertake violent acts against civilians or violations of international law, or to Israeli or Palestinian organizations or groups that are used to facilitate or undertake violent acts against civilians or violations of international law. For the purposes of this investment screen this would include companies that:
- Provide products or services that contribute to violent acts that target either Israeli or Palestinian civilians;
- Provide products or services that contribute to the maintenance of the Israeli military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem;
- Provide products or services that contribute to the maintenance and expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories;
- Provide products or services that contribute to the maintenance and construction of the Separation Wall...”

This site provides brief information on companies profiting from the occupation:
www.quakerpi.org/news/FF%20LACKS%20SCREEN%20FOR%20QPI.htm
www.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/us/methodists-vote-against-ending-investments-tied-to-israel.html?_r=1

The United Methodist Church/USA has consistently voted to boycott products from Israeli settlements. In its last general conference in Tampa, Florida, the Methodists passed a strongly worded resolution denouncing the Israeli occupation and the settlements:
(1) Urging the U.S. government to “end all military aid to the region”;
(2) Calling on “all nations to prohibit... any financial support by individuals or organizations for the construction and maintenance of settlements”; and
(3) Calling on “all nations to prohibit... the import of products made by companies in Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.”
www.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/us/methodists-vote-against-ending-investments-tied-to-israel.html?_r=1 http://www.elca.org/~/media/Files/Our%20Faith%20in%20Action/Justice/Peace%20Not%20Walls/PNW%202012%2003%2013%20%20%20ELCA%20and%20 BDS.pdf
www.quaker.org.uk/quakers-boycott-products-israeli-settlements
www.quaker.org.uk/news/news-release-call-uk-government-ban-israeli-settlement-goods
http://www.methodist.org.uk/who-we-are/views-of-the-church/methodist-boycott-of-goods-from-illegal-israeli-settlements
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/09/international/europe/09anglicans.html

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Church Decisions on Palestine/Israel

Canada

Anglican Church of Canada

July 2013: resolution commits Anglicans to working with ecumenical partners to promote peace and justice in Israel and Palestine –

Presbyterian Church in Canada

Affirmed support for United Nations Security Council resolutions

United Church of Canada

General Council approved the Policy on Palestine/Israel (August 2012)

General Council Executive (May 2013) approved the activation of the Palestine Israel Education and Economic Action Campaign (Unsettling Goods: Choose Peace in Palestine/Israel)

History of United Church Policy Positions

United States

American Friends Service Committee (Quakers)

minutes and statements supporting the BDS movement,

Lake Erie Yearly Meeting, (encompassing Ohio, Michigan, and Western Pennsylvania),… officially endorse boycott and divestment targeting companies complicit in the Israeli occupation (September 4, 2013)

Episcopal Peace Fellowship

Listing of Major Policies: Re Economic Action – Investment in Palestine, avoid investment in companies engaged in occupation.

Mennonites

Divestment: MCC U.S. will not knowingly invest in companies that benefit from products or services used to perpetrate acts of violence against Palestinians, Israelis and other people groups.(March 26, 2013)

Presbyterian Church (USA)

Boycott 101 Packet

A detailed guide and educational resource to empower local congregations

United Methodist Kairos Response

The Position of the United Methodist Church

Europe

Methodist Church in Britain

Call for UK legislation to end the trade in settlement products

Call for “a briefing document for the Methodist People upon the arguments for and against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement, and for the Methodist Council to bring a report based upon the briefing to the Conference of 2014.”

Compiled by C. Marwood (14-01-06)

Download Church Decisions on Palestine/Israel

Review of Church-related Economic Measures in Israel