Companies Targetted by PC(USA) Investment Committee Deny Allegations
Officials from some of the corporations targeted last week for ''progressive engagement'' by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) denied the church’s allegations that they are involved in advancing violence in Israel and Palestine.
Officials from some of the corporations targeted last week for ''progressive engagement'' by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) denied the church’s allegations that they are involved in advancing violence in Israel and Palestine.
“No one from the church has contacted us,” said Tom Martin, senior vice president of corporate relations for ITT Industries, of White Plains, NY. “We had not gotten any previous letters or anything from them."
ITT, along with Caterpillar, Citigroup, Motorola, and United Technologies, were selected last Friday by the PC(USA)’s Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee for their alleged role in the Mid-East violence, and were urged to pull their business out of the region or face possible divestment.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
All of the companies - with the exception of Citigroup, which the PC(USA) said helped channel money to suspected terrorists – were charged with providing technology, military artillery or machinery to the Israel army and in that way advancing the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.
According to the committee, Motorola has a wholly owned subsidiary with extensive ties to the Israeli military and recently won a contract to develop encrypted cell-phones for the army to use.
Motorola, meanwhile, denied charges and said its involvement in Israel is historic.
“We’ve been in the region for a long time, dealing with a number of customers,” said Norman Sandler, director of global strategic issues for Motorola, of Schaumburg, IL.
“We are involved in Israel … we’re involved in the Palestinian Authority territories … and we’re involved in, I think, at least a dozen other countries around there, helping to supply commercial mobile phone service,” he said, adding that the company had worked in the region for over 40 years.
Meanwhile, ITT’s Martin said his company would be willing to engage with the church to clear out the issues.
“We talk to all of our shareholders when they have an issue,” he said.
ITT was charged with supplying communications, electronic and night vision equipment used by Israeli forces in the occupied territories.
“We supply many companies who are allies of the United States,” Martin said, refusing to name the company’s customers in Israel and Palestine. “We serve the international market, in strict compliance” with the laws of the U.S. Department of Commerce, he said.
And Citigroup, which was charged with transferring money for suspected terrorists through the Arab Bank, said the allegations were “an outrage.”
“Our stance hasn’t changed,” said Jeanette Volpi, Citigroup’s manager of public affairs. “We just feel that any assertion that we support terrorism, it’s an outrage. We have first-rate controls. At this point we are really just sort of sticking to our statement.”
