WASHINGTON — In a narrow vote, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) rejected divestment from companies doing business with Israeli security forces in the West Bank.

The 333-331 vote, with two abstentions, in Pittsburgh late Thursday was the closest that the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement has come to a win in a major arena.

The vote replaced a measure recommending investment for peace among Palestinians instead of the majority report of a Middle East committee, which had recommended divestment from Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions and Hewlett Packard for supplying settlements and the Israeli army with security products for use in the West Bank.

A similar measure was defeated more decisively at a Methodist assembly in May, and last month MSCI-ESG, an influential adviser on investment for progressive causes, said that Caterpillar’s supply of bulldozers to Israel was a factor — although not the decisive one — in the decision to remove the company from recommended investments.