Wiesenthal Center Applauds Lord Carey's 'Courageous' Statement Against Israel Boycott.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center applauded Lord Carey of Clifton, the former Archbishop of Canterbury for forcefully condemning a campaign being considered by the Consultative Council of the Anglican Church that would disinvest from companies that do business in Israel. Lord Carey believes that a divestment plan, similar to plans proposed by other mainline U.S. Protestant Churches as the Presbyterian and United Church of Christ, would be a "grave mistake" that would seriously harm the peace–building efforts in the Middle East. "Israelis are already traumatized and feel that the world is against them. This proposal, if it is agreed, would be another knife in the back," Lord Carey said.

"We are grateful for Lord Carey's exposing the divestment campaign for what it is--a punitive, anti-peace move," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Wiesenthal Center. Rabbi Hier spoke from Cordoba, Spain where he is scheduled to address the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Conference on Antisemitism, which begins on June 8.

The Wiesenthal Center has been active in opposing the various divestment plans set forth by mainline churches on the grounds that these plans could "only be viewed as counterproductive and mean spirited and unmistakably one-sided.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe.

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036, or visit www.wiesenthal.com.