Deacon Dave Returns to Palestine

In the words of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA: “the security of Israel and the Israeli people is inexorably dependent on making peace with their Palestinian neighbors, by negotiating and reaching a just and equitable solution to the conflict that respects international law, human rights, the sanctity of life, and dignity of persons, land, property, safety of home, freedom of movement, the rights of refugees to return to their homeland, the right of a people to determine their political future, and to live in peace and prosperity.”

This resolution has brought much hope to peace activists throughout the world. The Presbyterian Church USA has publicly committed to acting in a manner consistent with their religious and moral values and it would be demoralizing for so many of us who have been following this process to see the selective divestment decision rolled back. The construction of the Israeli security wall and Jewish-only settlements is continuing the destruction and division of the mere 22% of historic Palestine that is supposedly left for the Palestinians. Now, more than ever, we as Jews, Israelis, and Palestinians, need the Presbyterian Church USA to step forward as leaders in a global peace movement, not step back because of pressure and criticism from those invested in maintaining the status quo.

Thus far, the so-called “peace process” has been clearly designed to avoid the root causes of the conflict and actually maintain the current conditions. State-led diplomacy has preempted grassroots participation from Palestinians, Israelis, and concerned individuals around the world. This is because politicians are considered the “experts” and peace is defined by the lines they draw on the maps they create, with almost no input from the people directly affected by these decisions. Divestment, on the other hand, can be an effective non-violent tool for generating the social and political pressure necessary to support Israelis and Palestinians struggling to end apartheid and occupation.

More than 170 Palestinian groups inside and beyond the Occupied Territories, the Israeli Coalition Against House Demolitions, and the World Council of Churches have all called for different forms of divestment from companies that benefit from war and occupation in Israel/Palestine. The Presbyterian Church is not and will not be alone in this process, and when one looks outside US society, one will discover that most of the world is sympathetic to the plight of Palestinians and critical of Israel’s unabashed militarism.

The Presbyterian Church has both the right and the responsibility to ensure that its investments are used to further the Church’s mission. The companies that have been selected for scrutiny include Caterpillar, a manufacturer of weaponized bulldozers used by the Israeli army to demolish Palestinian homes. Another is United Technologies, a large military contractor whose subsidiary has provided the Israeli army with helicopters. These are wealthy, powerful corporations - not Israeli civil society. Putting pressure on them to stop profiting from the destruction of Palestinians’ lives is not an attack on Jews or Israelis any way you spin it. It is my understanding that divestment is a last resort should corporations be unwilling to use your resources in ways that promote peace with justice. In the past, when moral persuasion and shareholder action has failed, divestment has been implemented as a matter of conscience. This tool has been used with companies operating in South Africa and Sudan, as well as with U.S. corporations involved in tobacco, gambling, military production, and environmental pollution.

Accusations of divestment activism in general and the Presbyterian Church selective divestment resolution in particular being anti-Semitic are not based in reality. It is so clear to me, as an American Jew, born in Jerusalem, committed to the struggle for justice and peace in a land I feel so connected to, that divestment is an important nonviolent form of resistance against a war on the Palestinian people, a war that’s justified by racism and that does nothing to increase security or make coexistence possible for anyone.

It is clear to me that divestment activism is a part of a global movement against all forms of domination and exploitation, not a singling out of the Jewish state. For once, there is an attempt at some consistency in our political and religious communities. For too long Palestinians and their allies have had to struggle to get their voices heard and their struggle recognized, having been persistently ignored or actively silenced within movements in this country, such as the nuclear disarmament movement in the 80’s and much of the current anti-war movement.

I urge all of us who consider ourselves progressive to examine the glaring absence of serious challenges to Israel’s policies in liberal or progressive spaces. We should also be concerned about the way in which we are required to make Israeli state security the lens through which we view the conflict, rendering Palestinians’ needs and rights invisible.

It is very important for me to take this opportunity to talk about the differences between being an ally to Jews and supporting the state of Israel. Yes, many Jews believe that support for the state that claims to be the state of the Jewish people is how to best support Jews. I strongly disagree.

Centuries of oppression at the hands of the Christian West will not be remedied or repaid by another few centuries of oppression of Palestinians at the hands of a Jewish state supported and excused by the West. While traveling throughout this country, many Christians have approached me asking how they can support Palestinians in their struggle for freedom while not offending the Jewish communities they have relationships with. I answer first by saying that you can’t. There will be many Jews who will be uncomfortable with the idea of holding Israel accountable for its actions or changing the political circumstances in a way that makes it possible to share both power and resources. But the racism and self-absorbed nationalism of so much of the mainstream Jewish community is inexcusable.

It’s certainly not the place of the Christian West to self-righteously condemn the Jewish state without acknowledging its origins in the Jewish struggle against genocide in Europe. However, neither is it productive for Christians to lend support or political cover to the racism and violence experienced by Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli state.

For me, and so many other Jews familiar with our history of persecution and resistance, what I request in reparation is the space to be actively involved in fighting all forms of white supremacy and other forms of racism, confronting genocide wherever it is occurring, fighting for immigrants and refugees to have the safety and access to shelter that Western countries denied Jewish refugees from WWII, and supporting those Israelis and Palestinians working so hard to create change and win true self-determination. The Presbyterian Church’s decision to engage just a few of the multinational corporations profiting from war and occupation is an important step.

The question should not be whether divestment is anti-Semitic or unfair. I propose a different series of questions: How can anyone argue with a decision to divest funds from companies that benefit from war and occupation? What will the Palestinian communities and the peace activists who have drawn hope and renewed energy from the Presbyterian Church’s resolution think if this decision is rescinded? Do we have the courage to stand up against the status quo in the U.S. and really struggle to end the racism and occupation that plagues Israel/Palestine? Whose voices are we listening to as we make our investment decisions? Whose lives are affected and what are we doing about it?

I want to close with a passage by Rabbi Tarfon from Pirket Avot/ Sayings of the Fathers: “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.”


Ora Wise, daughter of a rabbi and born in Jerusalem, is getting her masters in Jewish Education and develops curricula and teaches at a progressive synagogue in Brooklyn. For several years she was a media spokesperson for the national student divestment movement and organized with Jews Against the Occupation in NYC. She then co-founded the Palestine/Israel Education Project, which facilitates multi-media workshops in high schools and youth groups connecting the history of Palestine to struggles against racism and colonialism in the US. PEP is also working with Break the Silence in the Bay Area, Lajee Center in Aida Refugee Camp, and other youth organizations in Palestine and the US on developing a US-Palestine youth institute focusing on art and media skills. She is also on the coordinating committee of an emerging international network of anti-Zionist Jews.

Fair play to dave, defending the olive harvest is important work and a brave thing to do. If only all religious people saw things like you. I'll try nad make the dinner.