Desmond Tutu calls on Dutch Fund to Divest from Israel

Desmond Tutu on Wednesday urged Dutch pension fund, the world's third largest, to "strike a powerful, non-violent blow for peace in the Middle East" by divesting from three Israeli banks.
An ABP spokesperson said the management board would discuss Tutu's appeal at its monthly meeting on Thursday, alongside a letter from 'Christians for Israel', a Dutch lobby group which wants the fund to remain invested in the Israeli banks.

ABP, which had €309bn invested worldwide at the end of 2013, has nearly three million members in the Netherlands and holdings totalling about €51m in the three Israeli banks - Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi and Mizrahi Tefahot Bank.
Tutu said in his letter to the ABP board which was also published online that the fund's investments "enable the expansion of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territories, and profit from the illegal seizure of this land".