Presbyterians urge US to end Israel aid
Sat, 10 Jul 2010 08:31:58 GMT
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Delegates wait to speak at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis on July 9, 2010.
Presbyterian leaders have supported a proposal that calls for an end to US aid to Israel unless Tel Aviv stops its settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian land.
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, in its meeting in Minneapolis on Friday, approved a 172-page report, which details their church's approach to issues in the Middle East.
The report, approved by an 82 percent vote, affirmed previous positions of the church, including a call for the US to withhold aid to Israel if it builds new West Bank settlements, The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
It was met with immediate criticism from pro-Israel organizations and Jewish groups.
Earlier in July, Tel Aviv declared that it plans to construct 2,700 new settlement units in the West Bank.
International community has repeatedly declared that Israel is violating international law by expanding its settlements in the occupied Palestinian land, including al-Quds (Jerusalem).
?Settlement construction should stop, as should measures which discriminate against Palestinian residents of the city and the ability of Palestinians to access the city [al-Quds],? UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said earlier this month.
Since 1985, the US has reportedly provided nearly $3 billion in grants annually to Israel.
AR/HRF/MGH
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=134144§ionid=351020202
