Does Gov. Hassan Support the UCC Resolution Against Israel? - Granite Grok

Does Gov. Hassan Support the UCC Resolution Against Israel?

maggie hassan

New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan is a proud member of the United Church of Christ (UCC), as are many New Hampshire Democrats. They are “proud” because the UCC works chiefly as a social justice community organizer, promoting left-wing dogma. Their on-line presence lists priorities that could just as easily be a bullet list of talking points on any Democrat campaign web site.

So when a crowd of them gets together this shouldn’t surprise anyone.

It was resolved at their recent Synod that the UCC, its boards and members are to divest themselves of certain financial interests. They are “to divest themselves of any direct or substantive indirect holdings in companies profiting from or complicit in human rights violations arising from the occupation of the Palestinian territories by the state of Israel.”

No financial relationships please.

New Hampshire is a highly ranked trading partner with Israel, with $584 million in exports to the county since 1996, and over $43 million in 2014.

In 2013 Shai Bazak, Israel’s consul general to New England, met with the governor, and both congressional reps to discuss increasing trade.

Bazak said several Israeli-owned businesses operate in the state, including defense contractor Kollsman Inc., a subsidiary of Israeli-based Elbit Systems Ltd.

He said he invited Hassan to Israel for a trade mission.

“We can attract Israeli companies to open here and to hire more people here and create more jobs,” said Bazak.

Governor Hassan has not taken him up on the offer.

There is a planned trade mission from New Hampshire to Columbia this coming October, though there is no word on whether the Governor is going along.

And the governor did go on a trade mission to Turkey.

And now the UCC has asked its peeps to sever economic ties with businesses based in Israel that “profit” from the “occupation” of Palestinian territory.

So the highest body of the UCC has asked its entire body to boycott Israel; based on nearly identical terms as those held by the nation of Turkey.

Turkey does still does business with Israel and a lot lot of it.

New Hampshire still does business with Israel as well.

But in the world of American politics there are often political consequences for the actions of your church or its members.  If they object to being forced to pay for contraception or abortion, as an example.

A deliberate UCC boycott of Israel is meant to be bad for Israel. Any boycott could also be bad for New Hampshire.

Governor Hassan doesn’t need to rush off to Israel on a trade mission, but she should to speak out publicly against the UCC boycott, lest it be presumed she supports it to the detriment of job creation and commerce in the Granite State.

 

Hat/Tip Legal Insurrction

 

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