Israeli prime minister criticizes Presbyterians for decision to divest

JERUSALEM – Israel's prime minister has criticized the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for its decision to divest from three U.S. companies that operate in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

In a speech to an international gathering of Jewish journalists, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said his country had been unfairly singled out and described Israel as a rare success story in an otherwise troubled region.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Friday voted to sell stock in Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions, three companies whose products Israel uses in occupied Palestinian territories.

The 1.8 million-member church became the most prominent religious group in the U.S. to endorse divestment in a sign of protest against Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. It narrowly rejected a similar proposal two years ago.