Posted on 08/10/2004 1:30:41 PM PDT by xzins
Dershowitz On Presbyterian Anti-Israel Decision 18:19 Aug 10, '04 / 23 Av 5764
The Presbyterian Church (USA) resolved last month to condemn Israel's anti-terror partition/wall, to continue to fund the Avodat Yisrael church in Philadelphia that engages in missionary work towards Jews, and to divest from companies that do business with Israel. Excerpts from an article in the Los Angeles Times by Law Prof. Alan Dershowitz in response to the Presbyterian Church's anti-Israel decisions:
"The Presbyterian Church (USA) has committed a grievous sin. The General Assembly of that church has voted to divest from only one country in the world. No, it was not China, which has occupied Tibet for half a century and continues to deny basic human rights to its own citizens. No, it was not Iran, which threatens nuclear holocaust, executes dissenters and denies religious freedom to Christians and Jews. No, it was not North Korea, Libya, Russia, Sudan, Cuba or Belarus. It was - you guessed it - Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East and America's most reliable ally in a troubled part of the world.
"The way it will work is simple: A blacklist will be prepared for the church's leaders, showing companies that earn more than $1 million annually from investments in Israel or that invest more than $1 million a year in Israel. The Presbyterians plan to divest from any company on the list - with a handful of exemptions for companies that deal in education, social welfare programs and construction.
"How did the church come to such a ludicrous, wrongheaded position? Just look at the resolution itself, which bursts with bigotry and ignorance. It effectively blames the Israelis for Palestinian slaughter of civilians by asserting that the occupation is the "root" of terrorism. This canard ignores the reality that the Palestinian leadership opted for murder and violence as the tactic of choice well before there was any occupation, and that the leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad have vowed to continue murdering Jews after the occupation ends, as long as the Jewish state exists.
"The Presbyterian resolution effectively calls for the end of Israel by insisting on "the right of [Palestinian] refugees to return to their homeland." This is a well-known euphemism for turning Israel from a Jewish state into another state with a Palestinian majority. (Jordan is the other.)
"The Presbyterian resolution also condemns Israel's military actions taken in defense of its civilians. It claims, without an iota of proof and against all the available evidence, that Israel commits "horrific acts of violence and deadly attacks on innocent people," when the truth is that Israel, like the United States, goes to extraordinary lengths to avoid killing innocent people. It equates Israel's targeting of terrorists with Palestinian targeting of civilians.
"...Divestment also encourages the continued use of terrorism by Palestinian leaders, who see that when Israel responds to their terrorism, it causes an important church to punish Israel. I do not believe that a majority of the 2.5 million Presbyterians in the U.S. want their church used to support terrorism. But they are now on notice that their church has been hijacked and its name misused in the service of an immoral tactic.
"...Unless the church rescinds this immoral, sinful and bigoted denigration of the Jewish state, it will be "participating in" and "contributing to" anti-Jewish bigotry and the encouragement of terrorism [in the words of a Presbyterian resolution of 1987]. ...Will grassroots Presbyterians overthrow and prune the rotten branches to prevent the rotting for the next generation under their influence, or will they passively allow the desecration of their faith by leftist radicals?"
In response to much criticism of the decisions, the Church released a statement of justification. Regarding the criticism of its claim that occupation is the "root" of terrorism, the Church said only that its position was not new: "In previous Assemblies, the church has called for an end to the occupation, as the principal cause of the conflict."
Well stated
Alan D. is a little full of himself here. Since when is it "bigoted" to excercise a right to do business with whom one (in this case the church) chooses?
Yes, in many Americans' (including mine) opinions, Israel has done nothing (or little) wrong in dealing with the scourge that is the Palestinian "resistance." However, its not like the church is advocating violence, or even denying the funding of social and/or educational ventures.
The church has simply taken a peaceful position of protest. Playing the "bigot" card is totally disingenuous and pig-headed, in my humble opinion.
For what its worth, I'm Jewish.
Is Dershowitz supportive of the WOT and specifically the war in Iraq? I have not heard him pan Bush which is suprising based on his record during impeachment. I suppose he is just a strong supporter of Israel.
The PCUSA denomination has a history of being far more liberal (both socially and biblically) than many other denominations, including the PCA--Presbyterian Church of America. While I agree with the poster who pointed out that the church is a private group that is free to support or do business with whomever they want, from a religious standpoint this denomination's opinions on Israel are not comparable to many other protestant denominations' opinions.
When it's based on ignoring the hatred and genocide spewing from the lips of the people you are supporting.
Just because you have the "freedom" to do business with whomever you wish, doesn't mean that your choice isn't for bigoted reasons.
In this case, it's anti-semitic.
I think if you look up the word bigot, you will not find any reference to legal rights. Bigots are free under our constitution to engage in bigoted behavior. It is their attitude that is bigoted.
Prehaps you mave mistaken bigotry for "discrimination", a word which has taken on legal implications.
I respectfully disagree. To ignore the atrocities committed by the Palestinians is to condone them. It's like the Holocaust deniers. They state that they are against genocide. But then they deny it existed. In reality they condone what Hitler did.
The only thing that I found surprising in their voting was the support of missionizing Jews.
Apparently the only people the PCUSA are comfortable witnessing to are Jews.
I'm a PCA member. Through the Bible teaching I've heard at my church and my own reading, I've developed a great admiration and love for Israel and the Jewish people. Israel has no greater friend than a believer in Christ who reads the Bible.
Meanwhile, the decades-long overwhelming support given to Israel and Zionism by Fundamentalists probably offends him even more. After all, "these people represent evil, genuine EVIL!!!"
To use one of O'Reilly's favorite words, the Prez-bits leadership are pinheads.
Maybe we should be glad (I'm surprised) they witness to anyone! I'm told that several years ago at their national convention, PCUSA debated a resolution that held that faith in Christ was the only means to Heavenly salvation.
Excuse me? Do they use a different version of the New Testament than the rest of us?
How could they even debate something like that?
In that it's pro-palestinian, and the palestinians want to destroy the Jewish state, it is in that sense anti-semitic.
I'm surprised to hear A.D. use the word "sinful." His liberal buddies won't like that one bit.
Maybe we could do a fundrace.org or a newsmeat.com on him and see if he's donating to Kerry--then we'll know if he supports Israel.
Someone above asked if AD supports Pres. Bush's WOT...I don't know...but this makes it sound like if AD doesn't, then he's so internally conflicted that he'll soon explode.
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