Divestment

As an American Jewish doggie, I am concerned that the Presbyterian Church recently voted by a narrow margin to divest itself from stock in 3 companies (Hewlett Packard, Motorola, and Caterpillar) because they do business in Israel including the West Bank. I do not agree with the minority of Jews in Israel (and outside Israel) who favor increasing settlements in the West Bank. I think the settlements are a burden that Israel doesn't need. Having said that, divesting in Israel simplistically ignores the fact that the problem goes 2 ways. In the 1990s Israel created the Palestinian Authority as a first step in a process that was aimed at creating a Palestinian State (2 state solution). During that time an atmosphere of trust was developing in both the Israeli and Palestinian people. In 2000 Ehud Barak, the prime minister of Israel, offered the Clinton/Barak Plan to Yassir Arafat, the leader of the Palestinian Authority which would have created an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It would have removed the vast majority of settlements. However, it would have required the Palestinians to compromise by ceding Jerusalem to Israel and giving up the return of the descendants of Palestinians from outside to Israel. The return of Palestinians was and still is impossible because it would change the demography of Israel. There are many Jewish refugees in Israel from the Arab countries. They have moved on with their lives. As for Jerusalem, Arafat didn't even counter offer with a compromise. His answer was an intifada with suicide bombers. This destroyed the atmosphere of trust that had been built up between the 2 peoples. Later Barak tried a unilateral approach to the 2 state solution by removing the settlements from the Gaza Strip and unilaterally withdrawing. The result was the election of Hamas which totally rejects the existence of Israel and started shooting rockets over the border into Israel. The failure of liberal governments to make peace resulted in the election of right wing governments in Israel, first under Ariel Sharon and now Benjamin Netanyahu. The fence (wall) built to keep out terrorists from the West Bank along with targeted assassination of terrorist leaders (really terrorists) has brought relative peace and security along the West Bank border (compared to the Intifada). So, what do you want the Israeli people to do? Attempts to hand over territory to an independent Palestinian state have resulted in war and terrorism, not peace. The surrounding Arab countries (Iraq, Syria, Egypt, etc) have descended into terrible chaos. The Arab Spring has been a disaster. Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan have remained for now an island of relative peace and prosperity compared to their neighbors. I don't think the leaders of Israel or Palestine really want change right now. The Palestinian leadership is able to play the victim without any responsibility.
So, divestment will accomplish nothing except possibly creating a good opportunity for investment in the 3 targeted companies. One wonders why in the tumultuous Middle East, the Jewish state is the focus of divestment. In the long run, some changes will have to occur, but I don't know what. I am just a little dog with a little doggie brain, so I don't know all the answers.
Chloe