Since I was a commissioner at General Council 39, I would like to point out that Bernie Farber was wrong when he wrote: “At that time, the church rejected the call to boycott Israel.”

There was never a proposal to boycott Israel, but rather a proposal was made asking members to de-invest from companies that were supplying products to build “the wall” or demolish homes that were on Palestinian land.

There were Jewish people at this council who also asked commissioners to vote in favour of the proposal to de-invest because they know the plight of the Palestinian people must be brought to the world’s attention.

I doubt Farber would call them anti-Semitic.

Neither the United Church of Canada nor any of its members condones violence, the actions of suicide bombers or those who are using missiles against the Israeli people. And we don’t condone the use of force, which is sometimes used inappropriately by the Israeli military.

Examples of this are posted on the website of the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, at www.btselem.org/English/index.asp.

Rev. Jeanette Liberty-Duns
Saskatoon