Israel, China and Wal-Mart
by Paul Hershberger, Goshen, Ind.
The Russians (Soviets) sent troops into Finland shortly before World War II; although defeated, they continued to occupy a piece of that country. The Chinese, at the time the state of Israel was established, invaded Tibet; they haven’t left.
A document on a Mennonite Central Committee Web site says 700,000 to 900,000 Palestinians were displaced in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and there should be compensation. No mention is made that a like (or higher) number of Jews were displaced in Arab countries at the same time.
Christians have a 2,000-year history in pointing a finger at the Jews, so an open letter to Mennonite Church USA congregations asking that divestment in Israel be considered is not surprising. To demonstrate our evenhandedness, perhaps prior to Columbus 2009, a letter could be drawn up discouraging purchase of products made in China.
That may result in fewer trips to Wal-Mart, however. And a statement posted on the Web site of Mennonite Mutual Aid (a co-signer of the letter on divestment in Israel) may need to be altered. Its title: “MMA Owns Wal-Mart.”
Current Stories
Articles
News stories, digests and Meno Acontecer
- Bluffton students offer flood relief for community
- Soymilk offers nutrition for children in North Korea
- BikeMovement DVDs sent to all churches
- Bluffton students to Pittsburgh and Ireland
- Concert proceeds benefit Western District
- MDS finishes house started at San José 2007
- Israeli settlers threaten land, injure activist
- Goshen students to offer relief aid in Peru
- Churches in Haiti feel Hurricane Dean
- Meadows Mennonite Church ends ministry
- Scholarship brings graduation in Congo