"It was she who, perhaps three years ago, visited Gaza, was duly appalled, and vowed to press with all of her and her church's authority, to end the sadistic blockade and occupation of all of Palestine.
"It mystifies me that she can ignore the precedent of, and successful use of BDS, in the closest parallel, South Africa. Schori has succumbed to expedience or the cop-out of "interfaith" wishy-washiness-cum-cowardice.
"How can one have any hope for justice and a viable existence for the Palestinians in the face of such cavalier disregard for the well-known and often courageously expressed recitations of the "facts on the ground" created by the Zionist enterprise?"
Well stated, and true. Trips by church leaders, who finally see first-hand the ugliness of Occupation, are the best way to break through Israeli propaganda.
But, based on Bishop Schori's public display of hasbara (propaganda) in Los Angeles, the power of the Israel Lobby trumps the truth.
All is not lost. Another source, who attended the bishop's presentation, did not find the audience very receptive to her call for kum ba yah.
Two denominations will debate divestment resolutions over the next few months, first, the United Methodists and then, the Presbyterians.
The United Methodist supporters of targeted divestments are encouraged at the feedback they are hearing from the grassroots.
Blocking their way to the passage of a divestment resolution is the denomination's General Board of Pensions, which objects to non-financial types interfering in their decisions to maximize pension profits.
This body has determined over the years that it will not invest in corporations that profit from, for example, South African apartheid, and that old reliable United Methodist staple, alcohol.
Faced with requests that it extend its no-no list to include three companies supporting the Occupation, the General Board of Pensions has adopted the Episcopal mantra of "eating together and sharing stories."
Of course, the General Conference has the final say in this matter. Starting April 24, in their Tampa, Florida, meeting, the Methodists will have their chance to remember that its founding parent, John Wesley was not a "get along" guy; he was a justice guy.
This is the same denomination, by the way, that moved its 2012 meeting from Richmond, Virginia, to Tampa, Florida, because Richmond has a baseball team named, "The Braves," a no-no among United Methodists who have agreed not to patronize locations with sports teams the Methodists believe denigrate Native Americans.
Good for them. Now let us see what can be done about the denigration of Palestinians.
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