Exile and the Prophetic: While the Church of Scotland dallies, the United Church of Canada forges ahead

This post is part of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page.

While the Church of Scotland dallies, the United Church of Canada forges ahead. Even with the pressures, setbacks, go-aheads, one step forward, two steps back, the proverbial handwriting is on the Interfaith (In)Justice Wall(s).

Stick a fork in it. The interfaith ecumenical deal which demands Christian silence on Israel because of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism is dead.

No rearguard action of the Jewish establishment will stop the BDS steamroller. The only thing they can do is mitigate the damage, slow the speeding train and keep BDS from going Israel proper.

That’s the obvious next question. Is keeping BDS focused on businesses and products made in settlements a way of keeping BDS otherwise – excuse the word play – occupied?

Jewish and Palestinians activists know that separating Israeli settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank from Israel’s internationally recognized borders is fiction. In every occupation and colonial settlement project in history, the major political, economic, military and religious institutions of the imperial power are involved. Israel is no exception.

Occupation and settler regimes don’t respect boundaries. They’re multi-national and international. Israel over Palestine for 65 years – everyone who is anyone has a piece of the Israel First pie.

Israel has a civilian corporate occupation. The military protects the larger enterprise.

If you don’t know about “Who Profits” you should check it out (whoprofits.org). The telling subtitle of their website – “The Israeli Occupation Industry.” Their recent study on the Israeli and international pharmaceutical industry in relation to the occupation is right up the “everyone benefits” alley.

In light of the profit motive of occupation and settlement check out the United Church of Canada’s recent action. On February 28, Nora Sanders, General Secretary of the UCC, wrote to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird on behalf of her denomination. In her letter, Sanders proposes – in bold – that products produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank be clearly identified and distinguished from products made in Israel. She also proposes that Canada end tax exemptions for products produced in the settlements. As Sanders notes, it’s time for Canada to take concrete action:

When members of the United Church are shopping in Canadian stores, we hope that they would be able to make informed choices about purchasing products made in the Israeli settlements. These products are currently identified as “Made in Israel” which is inaccurate, misleading, and does not allow for consumers to make ethical choices. I ask, therefore, that the government introduce guidelines for retailers that would encourage them to label goods from the settlements differently from products made in Israel. Both the U.K. and Denmark have introduced such guidelines, which are also now being considered by other governments.

Because these products are not distinguishable from products made in Israel, they receive preferential tariff treatment under the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA). If the government of Canada views the settlements as a serious obstacle to peace, then it follows that—at the very least—Canada should not be encouraging the settlements by including their products in the CIFTA. I ask you to amend the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement to exclude settlement products. We know this is possible since, for example, the European Union has a free trade agreement with Israel which does precisely that.

Sanders spells out the UCC’s rationale for these demands: “There is widespread consensus that the settlements present a major obstacle to a lasting and just peace between Israelis and Palestinians. These settlements are growing in number and size and cause severe hardships for Palestinians.”

As I wrote with regard to the Church of Scotland document, the UCC action seems tepid in the larger scheme of things. The occupation continues as UCC members shop. This is fair criticism on the political front. But again, this is another example that the narrative of Israel as innocent is over. There’s value in that.

Sanders avoids polemics. Her letter is matter-of-fact. The UCC leaves for others the “I Love Israel/Therefore We Must Seek Peace”-speak. Political and economic policy changes are the issue.

In Sanders’ letter there is no reference to the Bible, interfaith relations or, for that matter, the Holocaust or the history of anti-Semitism. The joint heritage of Jews and Christians goes unmentioned. Absent is preventive counseling on how to discuss political affairs that involve Jews and Israel as a Jewish state. It’s a straight “Write your representative in Parliament/Petition your government” for a change in Canadian trade policy.

Nonetheless, it’s limited. Canada’s (Christian) affluent shop in an informed way.

Speaking of which, now that more than 1100 workers in Bangladesh’s garment industry are dead, major clothing manufacturers are signing deals to upgrade what can only continue to be slave wage/labor conditions. Even when improved, upgraded slave wage/labor conditions remain slave wage/labor conditions.

Are the church calls for action – as hotly contested and welcomed as they are – similar to the American and European garment industry titans who eagerly sign on to future decades of exploiting foreign labor?

Interestingly enough, the major players involved – the Americans, Dutch, British, Swedes and others – all have important economic, political and military stakes in Israel. The Canadian stake in Israel can’t be far behind the others either.

Should there be another website, “Who Profits: The North American-European Occupation and Settlement of Palestine Enablement Industry?”

Now adding Russia and China: “Who Profits: The Global Occupation and Settlement of Palestine Enablement Industry.”

While the Church of Scotland dallies and the United Church of Canada speaks, the world dallies, shops – and profits.