The Churches and the “BDS” Movement

The Churches and the “BDS” Movement
Opening Remarks to a Salon of the Committee for the Republic

 Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr. (USFS, Ret.)
9 February 2016,  Washington,  DC

The Committee for the Republic was formed thirteen years ago, as the United States prepared to invade Iraq. The founders of the committee – of whom I was one – were concerned about the implications for the civil liberties and traditions of our republic of growing American militarism.  The committee’s principal activity has been the conduct of monthly salons to raise consciousness about issues that bear on these concerns but that are essentially banned from civil discourse in our country.  These include the unconstitutional behavior of the warfare state at home and abroad, the military-industrial complex, corporate welfare and too-big-to-fail banks, campaign finance, and U.S. competitiveness.

Tonight we turn to an issue that troubles the conscience of an increasing number of Americans and that therefore has become a subject of active, if quiet, debate in our churches.   How can Americans help persuade the inhabitants of the Holy Land to seek reconciliation with each other?  It is clearly in Israel’s interests as well as ours and, of course, the Palestinians that they do so.  But in practice, U.S. policy supports the unjust and violent status quo.  There is no longer an officially sponsored “peace process.”  Palestinian suffering under Israeli rule is increasing and a new cycle of violence seems to be getting under way.  Israel is well along in delegitimizing itself as well the U.S. policies associated with it.  None of these trends should be acceptable to anyone who cares about Israel, its captive and displaced Palestinian Arab populations, the human condition, or the international standing of the United States.

In response to the deterioration of conditions in the Holy Land, a movement to boycott products and divest and sanction companies connected to Israel’s occupation and expansion into Palestinian lands has taken hold in Europe.  The “BDS” movement is also gaining traction here in the United States.  It is under attack in Congress and state legislatures.  The question of whether and how to take a personal stand on human rights in Palestine might seem to be a simple issue.  It isn’t.  And even attempting to discuss it honestly invites slanderous attack by Zionist extremists.

Is BDS an appropriate or effective means by which to influence Israel’s policies?  How can consumers tempted by goods and services from the Holy Land know whether by buying or refusing to buy them they are endorsing or registering their objections to the Israeli settlement project?  Can opposition to Israeli settlement-building in the occupied territories be distinguished from opposition to Israel itself?  And so forth.  The moral, political, and regulatory complexities are multiple.

Here to discuss these and related issues tonight are four people who are intimately familiar with the arguments over BDS that have smoldered in their churches.  They are here as informed and concerned individuals rather than as representatives or spokespersons of their churches or congregations.  To encourage candor, we are operating tonight under “Chatham House rules.” These prohibit the attribution of specific remarks to any particular individual but allow an unattributed précis of the views that the several participants in the discussion express.  If anyone present is not prepared to accept this reporting regime, I ask that person now to leave.

I assume you have all read the biographies of the panelists, so I will not recapitulate them.  I just want to express my gratitude and that of the Committee for the Republic for their presence here tonight and for what I expect will be an enlightening discussion.  I have asked them to limit their opening remarks to five or six minutes each so that we can have ample time for discussion.  When we come to the discussion period, I ask that you introduce yourself, even if you are sure we should all know who you are, and that you ask a brief, pertinent question or comment rather than a  harangue.

Let me introduce the panelists in the order in which they will speak:

Julie Schumacher Cohen – the former deputy director of Churches for Middle East Peace;

Vernon Broyles – a leader in the Presbyterian Church;

David Wildman – a leader in the United Methodist Church: and

Fr. Drew Christiansen – is a professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a well-known figure in interfaith dialogue.