AJC Welcomes Methodist Rejection of Divestment; Calls Boycott Endorsement Problematic

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May 02, 2012, 07:34 ET

NEW YORK, May 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC commends the United Methodist Church (UMC) decision to reject divestment from American companies doing business with Israel. The divestment resolution was overwhelmingly opposed today at the UMC's quadrennial General Conference in Tampa.

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"The UMC rejection of divestment is recognition that such punitive measures aimed at harming Israel do not in any way advance the cause of peace," said Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC's director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations, who attended the conference. "The only true path to peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis is a return to direct negotiations for a two-state solution."

However, AJC remains disappointed that the Church approved a separate resolution endorsing boycotts.

Calling the boycott resolution "problematic," Marans said "to truly foster reconciliation and hope requires the rejection of one-sided judgments. We are ready to invest in peace, together with Methodists and all Christians who seek to understand the aspirations for peace of both Israelis and Palestinians."

Kenneth Bandler
AJC Director of Media Relations
212.891.6771
[email protected]
www.ajc.org

SOURCE American Jewish Committee