The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is backing the efforts of Divestterror.org, an organization that identifies companies that do business with dictatorial, terrorist-sponsoring regimes and thus aid these regimes and the Islamist terrorists waging war on the United States, Israel and the West. Divestterror.org is dedicated to raising awareness among Americans that all can contribute to the war against Islamism and its terrorist campaign against this country, Israel and the West by urging divestment of our public and private pensions plans, college endowments, individual retirement account managers, 401(k) plans, private individual portfolios and other investment vehicles from publicly traded companies that operate in terrorist-sponsoring states.
As its website advises, “DivestTerror.org is a nationwide campaign aimed at some 400 public companies worldwide that are providing revenues, technology and moral cover to governments that sponsor terrorism and seeks to force governments to choose between their sponsorship of terrorism and critical partnerships with publicly traded firms” ( Divestterror.org).
Specifically, Divestteror.org aims to compel foreign governments to choose between their sponsorship of terrorism and critical partnerships with publicly traded American companies. Hundreds of multinational and American companies have, to date, refused voluntarily to divest from countries whose governments sponsor terrorism. The worst such offenders, a “dirty dozen” of these companies, exemplify the various ways in which this behavior is helping prop up such governments and, thereby enabling their ability to aid and abet terrorism and Divesterror.org seeks to highlight these companies in particular, which are:
- Alcatel SA
- BNP Paribas
- ENI SPA
- Hyundai
- Lundin Petroleum
- Oil & Natural Gas Corp.
- Siemens AG
- Statoil ASA
- Stolt Nielsen
- Technip Coflexip
- Total SA
The magnitude of the sums involved was first suggested in a study issued over two years ago by the Washington D.C.-based Center for Security Policy, The Terrorism Investments of the 50 States, which revealed that, as of August 2004, roughly 100 of the leading American public pension funds alone had some $188 billion invested in companies that partner with terrorist-sponsoring regimes, of which an estimated $73 billion was flowing to America’s enemies.
ZOA Vice-Chairman of the Board Dr. Michael Franzblau said, “We urge our members and all concerned Americans to familiarize themselves with information available on Divestterror.org’s site and to ensure that their investments and funds are not invested with companies that trade with terrorist-sponsors and to withdraw their funds if they are. If this approach is followed consistently by concerned citizens, it could have a dramatic impact on the pockets of terrorist-sponsoring dictators. This is something everyone with such funds and investments can do to help win the war on Islamist barbarism.”