“Working to end the Israeli occupation is the best way to help the Jewish people build a future free from terror and anti-Semitism.”

 San Francisco, CA – Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), the largest grassroots Jewish peace group of its kind in the United States, applauds the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) for its recent vote to explore divesting from companies who profit from the harming of “innocent people, Palestinian or Israeli.” Far from being an attack on Jews, the PCUSA decision to investigate selective divestment as a way to end Israel’s 37-year occupation is in the best Judeo-Christian tradition of supporting universal human rights and justice.

JVP supports PCUSA’s decision because we believe that the US government has failed to be an honest broker for peace, and that targeted economic efforts by citizens’ groups are therefore necessary to reach a lasting peace in the region.

JVP asserts that working to end the Israeli occupation, which is illegal according to international law, is the best way to help the Jewish people build a future free from terror and anti-Semitism. We believe that people who care deeply about the welfare of Jews, Israelis and Palestinians should take a similar stand against a military occupation which is harmful to all parties. Further, we deplore attempts to dismiss as anti-Semitic any legitimate criticism of the policies of the state of Israel.

Responsible investment by institutions, including churches, governments, corporations and individuals, is a vital tool in bringing a just peace to the troubled region of Israel-Palestine. When a 3-million member institution with the fiscal clout and moral credibility of PCUSA takes a stand, others will soon follow.

In the same spirit, JVP’s campaign to persuade the Caterpillar Corporation to stop providing Israel with US-funded specialized bulldozers for destroying Palestinian homes is supported by groups like Amnesty International and the United Nations. Strong economies on both sides enhance the prospects for peace. Investment in Israel’s occupation, in its illegal separation wall and its settlements can only harm both Israelis and Palestinians in the long run.

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Founded in 1996, California-based Jewish Voice for Peace is a national grassroots peace organization dedicated to promoting a US foreign policy in the Middle East based on peace, democracy, human rights and respect for international law. JVP teamed up with two groups of Catholic nuns at the recent Caterpillar annual meeting to introduce the first shareholder resolution in US history related to human rights violations in the Occupied Territories. JVP’s board of Jewish American and Israeli advisors includes Pulitzer and Tony award winner Tony Kushner, actor Ed Asner, poet Adrienne Rich and other respected rabbis, artists, scholars and activists. JVP has 8,000 supporters from towns and cities across the country, and calls for the suspension of all military aid to Israel until it takes down its wall, removes illegal settlements and ends its 37-year occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/press/releases/release082604.html