After the United Church of Christ passed an Israel divestment resolution on June 30, 2015, there was concern that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement might score three victories at church annual meetings this week.
But that did not happen. The Mennonite Church USA tabled the divestment resolution, and the Episcopal Church House of Bishops voted it down overwhelmingly on a voice vote (I listened, and there were almost zero people shouting “yes” and a loud chorus of “No”).
AP reported on the Mennonite vote:
A leading Mennonite group has delayed a decision on divesting from companies with business tied to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.The Mennonite Church USA was set to vote this week on whether they should sell off stock in companies “known to be profiting from the occupation” and from “destruction of life and property” in the territories. A church spokeswoman said delegates at a national meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, voted 418-336 to table the resolution until their next assembly two years from now. Twenty-eight delegates abstained.
Here are tweets reflecting the Episcopal vote on this resolution (D016):
These defeats will be used against divestment resolutions at other churches, such as at the United Methodist Church which passed divestment from a single company that provides prison services worldwide (including in the U.S. and Israel) but has not had a church-wide divestment:
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY