The PCUSA and Israel-Palestine Stated clerk 'deeply appalled' by Iranian leader's statement By John H. Adams The Layman Online Monday, October 31, 2005 The day after The Layman Online published a story that included accounts of a terrorist bombing that murdered five Israelis and the Iranian president's statement that "Israel must be wiped off the map," General Assembly Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick denounced that leader's remark. Kirkpatrick's statement did not address the terrorist bombing in the central Israeli town of Hadera. In addition to five deaths, 21 people were injured. In its October 27 story, "Terrorism, threats to Israel haven't waylaid PCUSA's movement toward divestment," The Layman Online cited an Associated Press account that quoted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as warning that "Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury." Ahmadinejad also said a new wave of Palestinian attacks will destroy the Middle East's only democracy and long-time ally of the United States. On Oct. 28, Kirkpatrick said he was "deeply appalled" by Ahmadinejad's remarks, which "pour fuel on the fires of hatred that continue to burn in the region." Nonetheless, Kirkpatrick has continued to support the denomination's policy of viewing Israel as the primary instigator of violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians. That support became official when the 216th General Assembly approved a resolution calling for divestment of the denomination's holdings in companies that do business with Israel. It did not mention divestment from corporations abetting Palestinian terrorists. The precise wording of the resolution's divestment section was that the General Assembly, "Refers to Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee (MRTI) with instructions to initiate a process of phased selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel, in accordance to General Assembly policy on social investing, and to make appropriate recommendations to the General Assembly Council for action." It did not mention any retaliatory fiscal policy against the Palestinians. "For decades, General Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church (USA) have condemned the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, the humiliation of Palestinians at the many checkpoints across the region and, more recently, the construction of the barrier known to many as 'the Wall,'" Kirkpatrick said in his statement. "At the same time, General Assemblies have condemned the frequent violence perpetrated against Israelis by members of the Palestinian community." Kirkpatrick said the denomination's policy "has been at the service of our fervent desire for peace between Israelis and Arabs. We stand unequivocally for the security and freedom of the Nation of Israel and its people. We stand, equally fervently, for a state in which the Palestinian people can also live in security and freedom." But the denomination has not recognized the legitimacy of Israel's defensive efforts to reduce suicide-terrorist bombings, which Israel's government has attempted to deter with occupation forces and the separation wall. Furthermore, opponents of the General Assembly's divestment resolution say it calls only for divestment of funds from corporations doing business with Israel without any reference to divestment of funds that might be channeled into suicide bombers attacking the Israelis. Even so, when the denomination's Mission Responsibility Through Investments Committee approved its list of five corporations targeted for divestment, one corporation was cited for providing funding for the Palestinian terrorists. That corporation, Citigroup, has denied that allegation. The full text of Kirkpatrick's statement: As Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), I feel compelled to respond to the statements attributed to Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a speech at "The World Without Zionism" conference, held in Tehran on October 26, 2005. I am deeply appalled by his declaration that "Inshallah (God willing) the eradication of Israel will soon be realized through the continued wisdom of the Palestinian nation." He went on to quote the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's words, "Israel must be wiped off the map." For decades, General Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have condemned the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, the humiliation of Palestinians at the many checkpoints across the region and, more recently, the construction of the barrier known to many as "the Wall." At the same time, General Assemblies have condemned the frequent violence perpetrated against Israelis by members of the Palestinian community. All of this has been at the service of our fervent desire for peace between Israelis and Arabs. We stand unequivocally for the security and freedom of the Nation of Israel and its people. We stand, equally fervently, for a state in which the Palestinian people can also live in security and freedom. Inflammatory language such as that attributed to President Ahmadinejad pours fuel on the fires of hatred that continue to burn in the region and does nothing but increase the mortal danger for all who live in the Middle East. We urge President Ahmadinejad to cease all calls for the demise of Israel and to turn his rhetoric toward reason, peace, and friendship, which are the only values on which a lasting solution can be found for all those who claim to follow the God of Abraham.

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