SAY NO TO CATERPILLAR

We have a small window of opportunity to cut off Israel’s supply of Caterpillar bulldozers before the Obama Administration allows the deliveries to resume.
Earlier this week, Israel’s Channel 2 News reported that Caterpillar is withholding delivery of tens of D9 bulldozers-valued at $50 million-to the Israeli military.
The report speculated that this”sounds like an American military sanction.”  For aJerusalem Post report about this, click here.
This comes in the midst of a civil trial in Israel brought by Cindy and Craig Corrie, of the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, a US Campaign member group. The Corries’ daughter Rachel was killed by the Israeli military with a weaponized Caterpillar D9 bulldozer in 2003, as she nonviolently tried to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home.
News reports have stated that Caterpillar will not deliver bulldozers to the Israeli military during the Corrie trial (click here for updates on the trial).
At yesterday’s State Department briefing, Assistant Secretary Philip Crowley did not deny the U.S. government has delayed the delivery, going only so far as to say that he is “not aware of any contacts between the United States Government and Caterpillar, but perhaps it’s a question to ask Caterpillar.”
We already tried that.  In written communications with the US Campaign, Caterpillar refused to comment on the reports, but did not deny them.
Whatever is happening behind the scenes, one thing is clear:
This represents a major, positive step in our ongoing campaign to hold Israel accountable for its misuse of Caterpillar bulldozers, which are provided at U.S. taxpayer expense as military aid (learn more by clicking here).
We have a small window of opportunity to act before pressure is brought to bear on the Obama Administration to allow the delivery of bulldozers to proceed.
Here’s what you can do to make sure this happens, and to advance our boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Caterpillar:

1. Sign our petition to the Obama Administration asking it to stop the delivery of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers to the Israeli military, and to investigate Israel’s violations of U.S. laws committed with Caterpillar equipment.
   Together, the US Campaign, the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.), and Jewish Voice for Peace, all intend to collect 10,000 petition signatures by next week to deliver to the Obama Administration.  Sign now by clicking here.

2. If you belong to an organization, then please have it endorse our organizational letter to the Obama Administration. We will be accepting organizational endorsements of the letter until 6 pm (EST) Wednesday, November 3.  Read and endorse the letter (organizations only) by clicking here.
   

3. Sign to organize a local BDS campaign against Caterpillar by clicking here. We’ll send you a free organizing packet.

4. Get TIAA-CREF to divest from Caterpillar. TIAA-CREF, one of the largest financial services in the United States, invests heavily in Caterpillar (over $250 million as of their last financial report). Sign a petition asking TIAA-CREF to divest from Caterpillar and other companies that profit from the Israeli occupation.

Meanhwhile, the Rachel Corrie Foundation has submitted a paper to the UN’s Universal Periodic Review, which will review the human rights record of the United States on November 5.  To read its submission, which documents how the United States has failed to uphold its human rights laws in Rachel’s case, please click here.