Send Page to a Friend The Jewish Community Relations Council Opposes Resolution Presented On October 28, 2004 By The Somerville Divestment Project (Somerville, November 8)  Nancy K. Kaufman, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, released this statement today:  "JCRC is involved in efforts on the ground in Israel to promote peaceful coexistence between Israel and her neighbors.  Divestment is a counterproductive strategy to achieving a just and lasting peace.  Only when terror stops against innocent civilians will peace come to the Middle East.  This resolution is one-sided and unfair.  It ignores the complexities of the situation in the Middle East, describing it in a way that makes Israel alone responsible for the conflict.  True friends of peace will not support actions like divestment that only reinforce the illusion that Israel can be pressured into making far reaching concessions without the promise of true peace.  Peace requires reform within the Palestinian Authority and the end of terror as a tool, and even-handed measures which will allow for a return to negotiations. The way to peace is to encourage both sides to follow even-handed policies, such as those outlined in the Roadmap to Peace.  The people of the region have already suffered greatly from power used to destroy and punish, they deserve the use of economic power to heal and build.  We encourage Americans to use economic power in a positive way, and make real impact.  People can: invest in joint Israeli-Arab business enterprises; help rebuild the infrastructure of the West Bank; loan money to development banks involved in micro-lending; donate funds to local organizations promoting dialogue and understanding or to those providing humanitarian relief for victims of violence.  The road to peace is a difficult and complicated one but will take responsible leadership by all levels of government to be successful."