In what’s being hailed as a historic victory for the global campaign to boycott and divest from Israel over its occupation of Palestinians, the pension board of one of the largest Protestant denominations in the United States has blocked investment in five Israeli banks. In a statement, a group within the United Methodist Church said it was the first time a major church pension fund has “acted to preclude investment in Israeli banks that sustain Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land.” The church still invests in other Israeli companies.