Related
Internal Links
Delegates at the United Church of Canada's national meeting rejected a series of motions calling for a boycott of Israel that were deemed anti-Semitic by Canadian Jewish organizations.
The resolutions before the council in Kelowna, B.C., called for a boycott of trade, cultural and academic activities with Israel, as well as financial and other sanctions.
In a video interview posted on the United Church's website on Thursday afternoon, spokesman Bruce Gregersen said the council has instead encouraged local congregations to undertake their own initiatives and study ways to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
He described the decision as "part of the freedom of the church," comparing it to the variety of opinions among different congregations on the church's acceptance of same-sex marriage.
"The council has simply said, 'We want you to take that freedom and use it as you wish to discern ways of ending the occupation'," Gregersen said.
Bernie Farber, the chief executive of the Canadian Jewish Congress who attended the council, commended the church for rejecting the "misguided and destructive" proposals he said were aimed at isolating and excluding Israel on the international stage.
"We are quite relieved and quite pleased," Farber told CBC News on Thursday. "The council understood it needed to be inclusive, not exclusive, and a boycott is exclusive by nature."
Farber, who earlier in the week warned that the approval of such measures could do "irreparable" harm to relations between the United Church and his organization, said he and other CJC representatives came to Kelowna to bring a "balance" to the proceedings.
"We're thankful that we can continue our dialogue together," he said.
On Tuesday, delegates voted almost unanimously to reject key segments of the resolutions, which the church acknowledged were unbalanced and unfair toward Israel.
They included documents that likened the Israeli political authority to "South African apartheid" and classified Canadian MPs' free junkets to Israel as "bribes."
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Drummond report on Ontario calls for cutbacks
- The Ontario government must curtail its spending with the kind of cuts not seen since the Mike Harris years, according to a report by former TD Bank chief economist Don Drummond. more »
- Children of immigrants challenged at school, home
- By 2016, foreign-born youth and Canadian-born youth from immigrant families will make up a quarter of the country's population, according to predictions by the Canadian Council on Social Development. As their numbers grow, more attention is being paid to their successes and failures. more »
- B.C. house party trial hears from tearful teens
- Two teenagers cried as they testified at the trial of a B.C. woman who was charged after a teen died while her son was hosting a party at her house in 2008. more »
- Whitney Houston funeral to be livestreamed
- Whitney Houston's funeral will be livestreamed, to satisfy the desire of fans to grieve alongside family members at the Saturday memorial. more »
Latest Canada News Headlines
- B.C. house party trial hears from tearful teens
- Two teenagers cried as they testified at the trial of a B.C. woman who was charged after a teen died while her son was hosting a party at her house in 2008. more »
- 2 NDP MPs back final Commons vote to kill gun registry
- Two NDP MPs broke party ranks to vote with the government in the final House of Commons vote on scrapping the long-gun registry. more »
- Children of immigrants challenged at school, home
- By 2016, foreign-born youth and Canadian-born youth from immigrant families will make up a quarter of the country's population, according to predictions by the Canadian Council on Social Development. As their numbers grow, more attention is being paid to their successes and failures. more »
- Half of Canadians report being bullied as youth
- Half of Canadian adults polled say they were bullied as children or teenagers — and 62 per cent of those bullied say having an adult mentor would have helped them cope. more »
The National
The Current
- Abortion and Conservative Caucus Feb. 15, 2012 3:21 PM The return of a debate that may have lost some of its explosive power, but may still be ready to detonate in Prime Minister Harper's back benches.
- Drummond report on Ontario calls for cutbacks
- Barefoot girl's icy trek not blamed on babysitter
- Immigrants the proudest Canadians, poll suggests
- 2 NDP MPs back final Commons vote to kill gun registry
- Honduras prison fire kills hundreds
- Canadian housing market cools in January
- Bodyguard hired for bully victim in Fredericton
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- Russians' abusive plane tirade to cost them $19K
