Anglicans Dump Israel Investments
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006 5:10 p.m. EST

The Church of England is facing a backlash from Jewish leaders for voting to divest from companies whose products are used by the Israeli government in the occupied territories.

According to the U.K.'s Times newspaper, the church's General Synod unexpectedly and overwhelmingly voted to support a plea from the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East to practice "morally responsible investment in the Palestinian occupied territories" and to disinvest from "companies profiting from the illegal occupation", such as Caterpillar Inc, a US company that makes the bulldozers used in clearance projects in the occupied territories, and also used by Palestinians in their own rebuilding work. ''

The motion passed despite strong opposition from what the Times described as "leading members of Britain's Jewish community, noting that they were "concerned that Israel's right to protect itself from suicide bombers and other Palestinian terror attacks should not be compromised. The rest