Divestment from Israel, the Liberal Churches, and Jewish Responses: A Strategic Analysis


 

Publication Date: January 2007

Publisher: Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

Author(s): Eugene Korn

Research Area: Culture and religion; Politics

Keywords: Israel Advocacy; Israeli-Palestinian Conflict; Jewish-Christian Relations; Anti-Israel Sentiment

Type: Other

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

The author argues that Liberal church efforts to divest from companies doing business with Israel are part of a larger anti-Zionist campaign to weaken and delegitimize Israel. However, the author maintains that hostility in the mainline churches is confined to a focused minority, while the majority of liberal American Christians remain sympathetic to Israel. The author explains that the most important goal of the divestment campaign is to weaken Israel's image in the eyes of the world. He delineates a tactical response to the program, which would expose its underlying bias and anti-Zionist ideology.