The United Church of Christ, one of the largest Protestant denominations in the United States, overwhelmingly approved a resolution Tuesday calling for divestment from companies that profit from Israel’s occupation or control of Palestinian territories, and a boycott of products from Israeli settlements.

Palestinians and their supporters welcomed the resolution, describing it as an indication that world opinion is isolating Israel. The Israeli government and its backers sharply criticized the church, describing the resolution as biased, deceptive and damaging.

While the resolution was not expected to have any economic effect on Israel, advocates said it was the moral weight of the measure, addressing one of the world’s most intractable and polarizing conflicts, that was significant.

Approval came at the church’s general synod in Cleveland, where delegates voted 508 to 124 in favor of divestment and boycott, with 38 abstentions. It was one of two resolutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict debated by the church, which has about one million members and more than 5,000 congregations nationwide.