Presbyterians divest holdings to pressure Israel

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Presbyteria Church divestsThe Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has voted to divest its holdings in three companies -- Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions -- that it says supply equipment used by Israel in the occupation of Palestinian territory.

The resolution, which passed by a vote of 310 to 303 late Friday at the 221st General Assembly in Detroit, calls for the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S. to dump $21 million in investments from the three companies.

The American Jewish Committee slammed the vote, calling it "a breach with a Jewish community committed to Jewish-Christian relations."

Supporters of the measure argued that Caterpillar makes bulldozers Israel uses to demolish Palestinian homes, Hewlett-Packard makes technology used to promote biased treatment of Palestinians, and Motorola makes communications and security equipment that hurts Palestinians.

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