US Presbyterian Church votes to divest from Israel bonds, denounces Christian Zionism

WASHINGTON

The Presbyterian Church (USA) voted earlier this week to divest from financial bonds in Israel and denounced Christian Zionism, the Religion News Service reported.

The church's General Assembly voted Monday in favor of legislation to divest from Israel bonds and started efforts to encourage two companies, which they said are involved in human rights abuses against Palestinians in the occupied territories, to cease their practices, said the report.

The vote took place in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Assembly has 422 delegate commissioners and 82 advisory delegates.

The resolution condemning Christian Zionism said it is "an ideological vision that it says links the State of Israel with biblical views of the 'promised land,' and therefore justifies taking land away from Palestinians."

The Presbyterian Church has about 8,800 churches and 1 million members, making it the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US.

The passage of the resolution is believed to prevent the church from profiting from Israel's occupations, Bob Ross, a member of the steering committee of the Israel/Palestine Mission Network, told the news service.

"Addressing Israel’s prolonged occupation of Palestinian territory is especially urgent today, as it is directly connected to the devastating war in Gaza and ongoing violence in the West Bank," he said.

US-based institutions, including universities and tech companies, have repeatedly faced demands to divest from Israeli firms that are profiting from the onslaught against the Gaza Strip since October.

More than 37,900 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and around 87,141 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli bombardment, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.