MRTI still in research phase of divestment process related to
Israel, Palestine
Ecumenical partners' actions creating 'movement,' Bill
S-J says
by Toya Richards Hill,
Presbyterian News
Service
[2-15-05]
PHOENIX -- February
11, 2005 - The Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI)
is continuing to research which corporations the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) should target for a General Assembly-mandated "process of
selective, phased divestment" because of their involvement in the Israeli
occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
The group expects to identify which companies to engage in
dialogue -- the first step in the process -- at its next meeting, scheduled
for Aug. 4-6 in the Seattle area, said Bill Somplatsky-Jarman, the lead
researcher for MRTI.
So far, research findings include a list from the
U.S.-Israel Business Exchange (US/IBEX) of nearly 400 U.S. companies with
investments in Israel, he said. MRTI has also obtained a list of companies
that have sold products to Israel through the U.S Department of Defense Arms
Transfer Program, Somplatsky-Jarman said.
"This is the critical phase of being very rigorous in
identifying any companies that may be profiting from the conflict over
there," he said. "It will be important for us to be as thorough as we can."
MRTI, whose job is to monitor the corporate behavior of
companies in which PC(USA) entities are invested, was assigned to "initiate
the process of phased selective divestment" by the 216th General
Assembly last summer.
The process -- which has been employed in Sudan and South
Africa as well as with companies involved in gambling, alcohol, tobacco,
massive defense contracting and nuclear weapons and land-mine production --
involves dialogue with corporate officials, shareholder actions and, as a
last resort, the actual divestment of stock.
In November, MRTI set up the six criteria it will use in
the Israeli occupation-related process, and during its regular meeting Feb.
3-5 here members again talked about their mission.
Somplatsky-Jarman also gave the committee an update on the
work of PC(USA) ecumenical partners to foster peace in Israel and Palestine.
"Virtually all the Protestant denominations are trying to
tackle this issue in one way or another," he told MRTI. "It's in everybody's
interest to come up with a full-blown engagement plan."
Among those churches looking into the issue are the United
Church of Christ and the Reformed Church of America. "The Episcopal Church
has already adopted a resolution for their (version of) MRTI to come up with
a full-blown engagement program," Somplatsky-Jarman said.
"They (the churches) are kind of under a movement now," he
said.
In other actions, MRTI:
· Affirmed the 2005 General Assembly's military-related
divestment list, which includes nine companies such as Alliant Technologies,
Boeing and General Dynamics that it says are overly dependent on defense
contracts.
· Recommend to the General Assembly Council (GAC) that
proxies be voted in support of a shareholder resolution calling on Avon
Products to annually report its contributions in a number of areas,
including the total contributions of Avon Products to the Avon Foundation
and fundraising and administrative costs connected with the Avon 2-Day Walk
for Breast Cancer.
· Requested the National Ministries Division, under which
MRTI operates, to provide an additional $7,000 in 2005 and 2006 in order for
MRTI to schedule one additional face-to-face meeting. Currently, MRTI meets
twice a year, but feels it needs the extra meeting to deal with the phased,
selective divestment issues related to Israel and Palestine. Three meetings
annually would return the committee to the schedule it had prior to budget
cuts in 2003.
· Re-elected committee chair Carol Hylkema, who serves on
MRTI as a representative from the GAC. MRTI also elected Bernice McIntyre,
an at-large member of the committee, to serve as vice chair. She replaces
the Rev. Isaiah Jones Jr., who represented the Board of Pensions.
