Inbrief

The Church of England has been urged by its national assembly to disinvest from the US-based construction equipment company Caterpillar over the supply of bulldozers to Israeli military forces. The general synod called for the church to end its £2.5million ($4.36m) investment in the company over the deployment of Caterpillar machines used to demolish Palestinian homes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Caterpillar, the world’s largest maker of construction and mining equipment, argues that it cannot be held accountable for the way in which its machines are used, especially as they are often sold by intermediaries. The Church of England Ethical Investment Advisory Group, which manages the church's £900m share portfolio, has stressed that the synod's position is 'advisory only and cannot compel or mandate disinvestment'.