PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH USA
PRESS US CORPORATIONS FOR REFORM
(Excerpts from The Christian Science Monitor
article by Jane Lippman

The investment committee of the Presbyterian Church USA named five US corporations it intends to push to reform their practices related to the middle east conflict. The committee said the firms contribute to the ongoing conflict through support for the Israeli occupation and settlements, construction of the separation barrier on the West Bank, or facilitating violent acts against civilians. The companies include ITT Industries and United Technologies, which supply communication equipment and helicopters to the Israeli military; Caterpillar, whose equipment is used in Palestinian home demolition and the building of settlements; and Motorola, which provides military wireless communications and invests in Israeli cellphone firms, which are alleged to be sidestepping license requirements and undermining Palestinian businesses. In an apparent attempt to be evenhanded, the committee also named a fifth company, Citigroup, for providing money-transfer services to charities that were accused of being fronts for terrorist groups.