The Presbyterians knew this was coming; in fact at least one voted against divestment citing his fear of just this headline. “Divestment vote by Presbyterian Church strains long ties with Jewish community,” writes The Washington Post. The story is slanted, suggesting that the divestment measure that targets three companies that serve the Israeli occupation is actually aimed at American Jews and sets back a “peaceful resolution” of the conflict. It fails to mention the many Jews who worked for the resolution– as the NY Times did in its coverage of the vote (and as NYT reporter Laurie Goodstein has emphasized on her twitter feed— and characterizes the vote as some quixotic action to confront Israel and Jews.
Writes Helena Cobban in a note, after she tweeted that it was a “fearmongering” piece:
The reporters– who give no evidence of having actually been at the GA meeting– frame the whole story in terms of “how terrible this rift could now be between the Presbyterians and the Jews”, quoting extensively from Union for Reform Judaism’s Rabbi Rick Jacobs, who led the anti-divestment charge in Detroit, and from one or two of his Presbyterian allies. Notable in the coverage was the lack of any mention of (let alone quotes from) any Jewish people who supported the divestment resolution. This was blatant, pro-Israeli bias and hackery and should be called out. (As I started to do on twitter.) Makes the NYT reporting look like a model of fairness.
The point of view of the piece is clear in this line: “some interfaith leaders raised concerns about the long-term consequences of the decision.”
And as Cobban notes, the piece grants prominence to Jewish establishment groups that are outraged:
In a statement issued Saturday, [Reform leader Rick] Jacobs said the vote was “unfortunate” and “calls into question the many ways in which we work together” with the Presbyterian Church.
The Post might have mentioned Jacobs’s laughable proposal to put together the Presbyterians with Benjamin Netanyahu. This gambit apparently backfired; one church member said it was “hubris” to believe they would have any effect on the p.m., especially after they’d defeated divestment.
More of the threats from the Jewish community, reflected in the Post:
The American Jewish Committee, based in New York, called it “a very sad day for Presbyterian-Jewish relations,” saying in a written statement that a group within the Presbyterian Church was “driven by hatred of Israel” and had led a campaign of misinformation within the denomination.
“This is an affront to all who are committed to a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Rabbi Noam Marans, the AJC’s director of interreligious and intergroup relations, said in the statement.
Oh and this is from the Israeli Embassy Saturday: “Last night’s #PCUSA vote in Detroit was a vote against peace.” Talk about fearmongering, the full statement implicitly accuses the Presbyterians of supporting terrorism:
“The resolution of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) this evening in Detroit is shameful. It removes its ability to be a constructive partner to promote peace in the Middle East. It is also remarkable at a time when we are praying for the safety of the three boys: Eyal Gil-ad and Naftali, who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, that the church remained silent. We would have hoped that PCUSA would have joined us in promoting peace and denouncing terrorism.”
“DAVID GREGORY:
As peace talks have stalled between you and the Palestinian Authority, there’s been new pressure from some religious groups. The Presbyterians in the United States have just passed a decision voted to divest its holdings in companies that do business with Israel, that sell parts to Israel that they claim are used in the course of the occupations of the Palestinians. How troubling is this to you? Do you think there will be other Protestant denominations that follow suit?
P.M. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU:
It should trouble all people of conscience and morality because it’s so disgraceful. You know, you look at what’s happening in the Middle East, and I think most Americans understand this: They see this enormous area riveted by religious hatred, by savagery of unimaginable proportions.
Then you come to Israel and you see the one democracy that upholds basic human rights, that guards the rights of all minorities, that protects Christians. Christians are persecuted throughout the Middle East. So most Americans understand that Israel is a beacon of civilization and moderation.
You know, I would suggest to those Presbyterian organizations to fly to the Middle East, come see Israel for the embattled democracy that it is, and then take a bus tour. Go to Libya, go to Syria, go to Iraq, and see the difference. And I would give them two pieces of advice: One is make sure it’s an armor-plated bus. And, second, don’t say that you’re Christians. ”
http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meet-press-transcript-june-22-2014-n137886
That is the most grotesque of all of the coverage re the PCUSA vote to divest, imho.
“They see this enormous area riveted by religious hatred, by savagery of unimaginable proportions.” Yeah, Netanyahu– we see YOU!
frame the whole story in terms of “how terrible this rift could now be between the Presbyterians and the Jews”, quoting extensively from Union for Reform Judaism’s Rabbi Rick Jacobs
Like Rabbi Jacobs, Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie shows what an ass hat he is: When the church desperately wanted Jewish backing as cover for its pro-divestment position, Jewish Voice for Peace – known for cloaking extremist principles in ambiguous language – stepped forward. — How a radical anti-Israel Jewish group colluded with the U.S. Presbyterian Church http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.600579
Yeah, unlike URJ, we place a premium on advocating equal human rights for Jews and Palestinians over xenophobic militarism and colonialism.
“The resolution of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) this evening in Detroit is shameful. It removes its ability to be a constructive partner to promote peace in the Middle East. It is also remarkable at a time when we are praying for the safety of the three boys: Eyal Gil-ad and Naftali, who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, that the church remained silent. We would have hoped that PCUSA would have joined us in promoting peace and denouncing terrorism.””
Oh wait. I missed the directive that the world was supposed to stop spinning and sit shiva for the disappeared teens… all the while Israel pounds the OPT and kills and kidnaps at will.
btw, PCUSA is promoting peace and denouncing terrorism– Israeli terrorism and Occupation! How about joining them?
Is there some reason PCUSA should care about Presbyterian-Jewish relations, especially now, as major Jewish organizations advocate for the occupation?
I watched with disgust CNN cover this news item, and the almost challenging attitude of Victor Blackwell on Sunday morning, when he interviewed the spokesperson and official for the Presbyterian church. CBS New York also covered a protest in New York by pro Israeli supporters regarding the so called, (unproven) kidnapping of 3 kids, and failed to mentioned the Palestinian kids who were killed recently (with proof), just to “balance” that report.
Obviously boycotts and divestments must be hurting Israel, or else why these desperate attempts to turn it all into anti semitism, their usual method to silence or stop criticism against their crimes. You see hasbaracuda coming out in shoals in various websites, all spewing the same crap, and trying hard to convince us the facts are all wrong. Calling boycotts and divestment against Israel “anti-semitic” is as stupid and absurd as calling boycotts and sanctions against Iran “anti Islam”.
Only the zionists can come up with such nonsense, but then they are desperate and pathetic right now.