We’ve never been this close to making history.

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Last night, after years of engagement, a Presbyterian Church USA vote to divest from Caterpillar, Motorola and Hewlett-Packard lost by an extraordinary 2 votes—both abstentions. These companies were selected because they profit from the Israeli occupation.

I won’t lie—it was a shock.

A subcommittee had voted 3 to 1 for divestment earlier in the week, and virtually the entire church leadership supported the move. And for the first time ever, throughout hours of emotional testimony, no one dared defend Israel’s occupation.

This morning, though, we had much better news. The church overwhelmingly voted to boycott all Israeli settlement products. Not long ago, such a vote would have been unthinkable. Today, it won by over 70%.

You can read our full statement and see media coverage here.

The really good news is that we now know that winning is just a matter of time.

The overwhelming vote in favor of settlement boycott, and the razor-thin margin on divestment, show just how far we’ve moved despite everything the opposition threw at us. Our side had a shoe-string budget; a tireless group of volunteers from all faiths and traditions; and the passionate drive of those committed to standing for the humanity of all people. And we were up against groups that vowed to throw millions into the fight against divestment.

More important, these votes follow a string of truly watershed victories in the last few months alone:
 Investment firm Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) removed Caterpillar, Inc. from its socially responsible investment indexes, saying the company’s role in Israeli human rights violations was a “key factor”.

 Retirement giant TIAA-CREF dropped $72 million in Caterpillar, Inc. stock from their socially responsible funds.

 Friends Fiduciary Corporation, which handles investments for over 250 Quaker institutions, divested from Caterpillar.

 The United Methodist Church resolved to boycott “products made by Israeli companies operating in occupied Palestinian territories.”

Despite all-out efforts by our better-funded opponents who want the Israeli government to have a lifetime free pass on human rights violations, the tide is finally turning.

These victories are the product of hours of work, and limitless courage, on the part of countless individuals and organizations of every faith and tradition. And as a Jewish Voice for Peace supporter, these victories belong to you as well.

 With our first Caterpillar shareholder resolution in 2005, Jewish Voice for Peace, along with our interfaith partners, brought Israeli human rights abuses into a boardroom of a major U.S. corporation for the first time. And we have continued our Caterpillar work as others have taken the lead in pressuring them.

 In 2010, we launched the TIAA-CREF campaign which is now led by an alliance that includes American Friends Service Committee, Grassroots International, Adalah-NY, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, and the US Palestinian Community Network as well as JVP.

 And we’ve been the only organized Jewish group working very closely with churches on divestment, including the Presbyterians, since 2004.