Some Anglican leaders are recommending that the church withdraw investments from Israel to pressure the country to ease the 'draconian conditions' imposed on the Palestinians, a church official said on Thursday. Those recommending 'divestment', or taking capital out of the country, include church officials from the United States, Australia and New Zealand, said Ms Nancy Dinsmore, director of development for the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. Twenty-nine Anglican representatives toured Israel and the West Bank this week before drawing conclusions about the 4-year-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Their recommendations will be made to a meeting next year in Wales of the Anglican Consultative Council, which has representatives from all 38 provinces of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Ms Dinsmore said she did not know how much Anglican churches had invested in Israel. Many Palestinians and Arabs around the world support the idea of divestment, which was used against South Africa to help end apartheid. The tour exposed the representatives 'to the draconian conditions of the continuing occupation under which so many Palestinians live,' the group said on its website.
| I guessed they missed the bus tour of the exploded pizza parlors, bus stops and discos in Israel. |
The statement did not include a mention of divestment, since not all 29 leaders signing it support divestment as an option for their country's church, she said. Israeli officials were not available for comment on the church position. Ms Jenny Te Paa of New Zealand, who led the delegation, said the church had become increasingly sympathetic to the Palestinian cause recently, and the ruling council was likely to accept the idea of divestment. The group toured the West Bank, meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Palestinian church representatives. The group also met with an Israeli social activist and several Israeli Arabs, but no government officials.
| I can just see Ms. Te Paa squirming with girlish delight over meeting Yasser. |
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