Israeli prime minister criticizes Presbyterians for decision to divest

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.