Many Presbyterians and other observers were startled by the 2004 decision of the 216th General Assembly “to initiate a process of phased, selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel.” The proclamation was certainly met with controversy; many people both within and without the PC(USA) strongly objected to what they regarded as an unfair, unwise, and immoral Presbyterian policy. Many others wondered what was going on, and no one seemed to have an idea exactly how widespread support for this initiative was among rank and file Presbyterians. It soon became apparent that the first real opportunity to address the issue would come with the meeting of the next General Assembly (2006) in Birmingham. The best way to make sure that an item is at least considered by the General Assembly is by use of an overture from a presbytery. So far there have been at least fifteen such overtures advanced.

While the overtures differ, they fall into two basic categories – those that would rescind the divestment decision, and those that would continue it...