Quakers in Britain to boycott companies ‘profiting from occupation’ of West Bank
Board of Deputies of British Jews slams decision as ‘a biased and petulant act,’ notes faith group is divesting from world’s only Jewish state
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
The Quakers in Britain faith group said Monday that it will no longer invest in any companies who profit from “the occupation of Palestine,” and urged others to follow its example.
Britain’s official representative for the Jewish community, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, condemned “the appalling decision…to divest from just one country in the world – the only Jewish state,” and denounced the move as “a biased and petulant act.”
The Quakers’ decision was made in coordination with the the church’s trustees, the organization said in a statement, and “fits into a long Quaker history of pursuing ethical investments.”
“It follows decisions not to invest funds in, among others, the fossil fuel industry, arms companies, apartheid South Africa, and – going even further back – the transatlantic slave trade,” the statement said.
“Our long history of working for a just peace in Palestine and Israel has opened our eyes to the many injustices and violations of international law arising from the military occupation of Palestine by the Israeli government,” said Paul Parker, an official for Quakers in Britain.
“We believe we have a moral duty to state publicly that we will not invest in any company profiting from the occupation,” he continued. “We hope that by announcing our refusal to profit from these companies, it will encourage others to think about their own investments, and help challenge the legality and practices of the ongoing military occupation.”

Ingrid Greenhow, clerk of Quakers in Britain trustees, said in the statement that the Quakers are not aware of currently holding any investments in companies that profit from Israel’s control of Palestinian territories, but that investment policies would be updated to reflect the new policy.
“This includes companies – whichever country they are based in – involved for example in the illegal exploitation of natural resources in occupied Palestine, and the construction and servicing of the separation barrier and Israeli settlements,” she said.
Greenhow said the Quakers are waiting for the publication of a United Nations report that lists companies involved in settlement-related activity.
Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl panned the church for taking the measure against the Jewish state, when growing anti-Semitism has become an international concern.

“While other churches have reached out to the Jewish community at this time of rising anti-Semitism and polarization to work together to tackle prejudice and promote peace in the region, the Quaker leadership has chosen to import a divisive conflict into our country, rather than export the peace that we all want to see.”
“The Quakers, who have for so long been at the forefront of peace activism, have now marginalized themselves from being a credible voice on the issue.”
“We urge the Quakers to reverse this decision, to stop promoting division, and to join those of us looking to build bridges instead.”
In 2011, Quakers said they would boycott goods produced in Israeli settlements, the Jewish Chronicle newspaper reported.
According to a report from the BBC, there are about 210,000 Quakers around the world, with 17,000 in Britain.
Also Monday, vacation rental operator Airbnb announced it would no longer host listings in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The US-based Airbnb said in a statement posted on its website that after a reexamination of its policies, the company has “concluded that we should remove listings in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank that are at the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.”