RESOLUTION FOR DIOCESE OF MAINE CONVENTION

 RESOLUTION PROPOSAL: Palestinian/Israeli Peace

SUBMITTED BY:  Episcopal Peace Fellowship – Maine Chapter

CONTACT:  Maurine Tobin

Resolved, that the 193rd Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, acknowledging the Church’s regret at the lack of progress in negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians toward a just and peaceful resolution of the longstanding conflict in the Holy Land, urge each congregation in the Diocese to continue to pray and study the situation in the Holy Land through resources such as the annotated bibliography to be prepared and posted on The Episcopal Church website as well as existing resources such as Steadfast Hope and Kairos Palestine, the Episcopal Peace Fellowship of Maine providing facilitators if requested, and be it further

Resolved, that in response to urging from the General Convention, the Diocese of Maine commit in 2013 to offer support tothe Al Ahli Arab Hospital of Gaza, an institution of the Episcopal Diocese of the Jerusalem, by requesting that Episcopal Peace Fellowship of Maine provide educational programming for congregations on the work of the hospital and to solicit financial support for its work, and be it further

Resolved, that the Diocesan Convention request the Trustees of Diocesan Funds to adopt the recommendations of the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church (see Appendix 2) with regard to corporate engagement. Specifically we request that they:

 1)  provide information regarding our Diocesan portfolio, including profile share of companies that invest positively in Palestine or that negatively affect life in Palestine;

2)   file shareholder resolutions or other formal communication with companies in the Diocesan portfolio "which operate in the Occupied Territories" and "contribute to the infrastructure that supports and sustains the Occupation, such as settlements and their bypass roads, the security barrier where it is built on Palestinian land, and demolition of Palestinian homes” urging them to cease to do so;

3)  report to the 2013 Diocesan Convention regarding actions taken by the Trustees and the responses they receive from the companies so engaged.

Explanation:

Supporting information for these resolutions is found below in Appendix 1 (Resolutions B017 and B019 adopted by the 2012 General Convention of the Episcopal Church) and in Appendix 2, an Executive Council resolution passed in October 2005 that calls on The Episcopal Church to support both positive investment and corporate engagement with companies contributing to violence against either side or practices that sustain occupation.

NOTE: The first two sections of the resolution passed overwhelmingly; the third failed 141 - 93.