The Presbyterian Church’s General Assembly in the United States has accused five American companies of inciting violence against the Palestinians because of their continued support for Israel’s occupation policies. The General Assembly has approved a number of measures opposing the occupation of Palestine.
At a recent meeting, representatives of the church voted to initiate a process of phased selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel. The move is the implementation of a decision adopted last year by the Presbyterian Church; the decision called for putting pressure on American companies which profit from Israel’s occupation policies in the West Bank and Gaza.
Such a move should long ago have come from us Arabs; we should not have waited for others to act before we decided to do something. Arab governments and Arab people should boycott the companies identified by the Presbyterian Church — although I am not sure either the governments or the people will do so.
The delegates called for the corporate offices of the Presbyterian Church to begin collecting data to support a selective divestment of holdings in multinational corporations doing business in Israel. The particular companies targeted for bearing responsibility for the suffering of Palestinians include Caterpillar Inc., City Group, ITT, Motorola and United Technologies.
The latter manufactured engines used by the aircraft we buy from the US. The companies have been accused of selling weapons to Israel, including helicopters, night vision and communication equipment, and other materials. Caterpillar Inc. manufactures bulldozers used by Israel to demolish Palestinian homes. The church’s move is similar to the international boycott campaign against the former South African government against the country’s apartheid system.
The campaign played a big part in ending apartheid and South Africa’s ugly racist policies. I said I doubt if Arab governments or the Arab people will start boycotting the American companies at a time when the volume of trade between Israel and Arab countries was worth $7 billion last year. Some may view this as a modest figure but the significance is not in the figure itself but on its very dangerous implications.
It means the Arabs have accepted the principle of trade exchanges with Israel in preparation for a Middle Eastern market in which Israel would be the dominant player. This would give Israel eternal supremacy over the Arab world.
What a shame!
At a time when Palestinians are prisoners in Gaza and Israel is consolidating its grip on the entire West Bank, including Jerusalem, Arabs continue to maintain a grotesque silence while others — not even Muslims — seem more concerned with the sufferings of Palestinians than their brothers.
