I  believe denominations such as the one I belong to, The United Methodist Church, are Israel ’s best friends—but we are not its uncritical friends. We fervently desire a safe and secure Israel and believe the best way to achieve this is for Israel to stand beside a safe, secure, viable, and contiguous Palestine.

We do not subscribe to the notion that the establishment of the state of Israel is a precursor to the “end times.” Those who misinterpret scripture and adhere to the renegade teachings of John Nelson Darby have strayed from Christianity.

At times I have been asked why United Methodists have an “excessive” level of concern with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Why, for example, are we not giving Myanmar (Burma) or Guatemala or Indonesia similar scrutiny? The implication is that our seemingly undue level of interest must be connected to overt or latent anti-Israel sentiment.

Frankly, United Methodists do have inordinate interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because it takes place in the Holy Land.

United Methodists are deeply concerned for the plight of Christians living there today. Because of their witness and missionary work we are Christians today. They are not Christians because of our proselytizing. Thus the disappearance of the Christian population from the Holy Land is of grave concern to us.

Oftimes, we are told Christians are leaving the Holy Land because of persecution from Muslims. That is a serious charge, so we check with our Christian partners —the ancient Christian churches as well as the Baptists, Anglicans, Lutherans, and others. Repeatedly, they tell us the overwhelming reason for the exodus of Christians is due to the harsh Israeli Occupation and the impossibility of living a normal life.

Christians are an integral part of the tapestry of the Holy Land. Removing them is like trying to take a thread from the tapestry. It can ’t be done without the whole thing unraveling. Christians represent a bridge between Jews and Muslims. Our people are simultaneously part of the Judeo-Christian heritage as well as part of the Arab population. Their presence and importance has not been sufficiently utilized.

Tens of thousands of United Methodists have participated in journeys to the Holy Land. Usually, these are apolitical tours led by guides licensed by the Israeli government. Christians want to walk where Jesus walked and better understand the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. But, they can see for themselves the conditions under which Palestinians live and the obvious inequality between Jews and Arabs, and this eyewitness observation raises the consciousness of our people.

Currently, my agency, the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society, has submitted a petition to the 2008 United Methodist General Conference supporting the divestment of Caterpillar stock owned by United Methodist entities in protest of Caterpillar ’s sale of bulldozers to the Israeli Defense Forces. Caterpillar’s giant machines are used in the destruction of Palestinian homes and olive groves and to construct segregated roads and the Separation Barrier.

Simply stated, we do not want our church to profit from the continuing Occupation. Similarly, our church long ago divested from corporations that produce nuclear weapons, tobacco, or alcohol. We do not invest in gambling and pornography enterprises, either. When corporations or entire industries offend biblical values, we choose to invest our funds where God ’s Creation can be sustained.

We are not advocating divestment from Israel. For forty years, we have passed resolutions and issued statements of opposition to the Occupation to no effect. Now, we want to examine our investment portfolios and see if any of the stock we own helps keep the Occupation going. Caterpillar products are used in some of the most egregious aspects of the Occupation.

I have been asked if we will divest from any corporations whose products are used in the creation of rockets fired into Israel. To date, we have not identified any such companies but if we do I have no doubt we would rid ourselves of such investments.

Charges are frequently made that we United Methodists are not as balanced and fair in our public statements regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as we should be. Balance is important. Neutrality is different. We should be appropriately balanced when we state our views and beliefs on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, we are not neutral. We believe the Occupation should end, the settlements should be dismantled, Jerusalem shared, and the right of return addressed. A major share of the burden rests on the Occupier.