The Bishop of New York, the Rt. Rev. Mark Sisk, has rebuked the General Synod of the Church of England for its decision to divest from companies whose products are used by the Israeli government in the West Bank and Gaza.

While sympathizing with synod’s desire to support the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, Bishop Sisk said he was “disappointed” by synod’s “inadequate response to the enormous, and increasingly, complex situation in the Middle East.”

On Feb. 6, synod endorsed a private members motion calling for a “morally responsible investment in the Palestinian occupied territories and, in particular, to disinvest from companies profiting from the illegal occupation, such as Caterpillar, Inc., until they change their policies.”

Reaction to the vote from Britain’s Jewish community and Church leaders was swift. The Chief Rabbi of Britain, Sir Jonathan Sacks, called it “ill-judged” and its “timing could not have been more inappropriate...The immediate result will be to reduce the church’s ability to act as a force for peace between Israel and the Palestinians for as long as the decision remains in force,” he said.

Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey said the vote made him “ashamed to be an Anglican” as it was a “most regrettable and one-sided statement” that “ignores the trauma of ordinary Jewish people” in Israel subjected to terrorist attacks.

In his Feb. 9 statement, Bishop Sisk said he agreed with Lord Carey’s concerns that the synod vote was “one-sided.” Bishop Sisk said he endorsed a policy of positive engagement between Israel and the Palestinians.

The “international community” must “bring pressure to bear on all parties to find a just and lasting peace” in the region, Bishop Sisk said. “However, I disagree with those who propose divestment as a method to achieve this end because though it does have the good effect of focusing attention on the plight of ordinary Palestinians, as a tactic it is simplistic and fails to recognize the plight of the ordinary Israeli as well. What is called for is constructive engagement, not disinvestment.”

Speaking to Anglican delegates to the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre on Feb. 17, Archbishop Rowan Williams clarified the Church of England’s position, saying synod did not vote to disinvest. “Synod in fact voted to continue a process it has begun with one or two particular companies of testing what they are doing against existing ethical guidelines,” he said.

“The question the Church of England had to face was whether it was willing to profit from activities from which it has moral questions,” Archbishop Williams said.

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