Protest of Caterpillar
for sale to Israel of equipment used in Palestinian home demolitions

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From BoycottIsraeliGoods.org
 

Please act during this month to write and publicize the use of Caterpillar
equipment funded by our tax dollars to demolish Palestinian homes and
uproot their trees and thus to continue an ethnic cleansing process that
started over 54 years ago.
 

Talking Points:
 

- With 2001 sales/revenues of $20.45 billion, Caterpillar is the world's
largest maker of construction and mining equipment.  A significant portion
of these sales occur in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
 

- Caterpillar's Claims of Social Responsibility: "As a global company, we
use our strength and resources to improve the lives of our neighbors around
the world."   "Caterpillar's reputation for integrity is a fundamental part
of our heritage and one of our most valuable assets. Integrity encompasses
all that defines and sustains us as a company - the values we believe in,
the high ethical standards we live by, our honesty and behavior in dealing
with others, and our commitment to deliver on the promises we make to
customers, shareholders, and each other. In great measure, we at
Caterpillar have achieved our worldwide leadership position by upholding
our reputation for integrity. No document Caterpillar has published is more
important than our Code of Worldwide Business Conduct. "
http://www.cat.com/about_cat/social_responsibility/social_responsibility.html
 
 

- Despite these lofty words, Caterpillar provides Israeli forces with
armored bulldozers and others tools, paid for by American taxpayers, to
destroy Palestinian homes and uproot trees (see
http://www.counterpunch.org/gordon0602.html and
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=81&CategoryId=4 for detail)
 

- According to the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions thousands of
Palestinian homes have been demolished in the occupied areas since 1967 and
the pace of demolitions accelerated after Israel signed the Oslo accords in
1993.  The latest were eight homes yesterday in occupied East Jerusalem
(picture attached).
 

- Demolition of Palestinian homes constitutes a gross violation of basic
human rights and contravenes major international human rights conventions
including the 4th Geneva Convention and the Universal Declaration on Human
Rights.
 

- International  covenants on war crimes and the newly established
International Court of Justice are authorized to punish any who knowingly
support acts that constitute war crimes. Demolition civilian homes and
rendering thousands homeless (mostly women and children) during times of
conflict comprises grave war crimes.
 

ACTIONS REQUESTED:
 

1) Picket and protest at Caterpillar Locations making sure the manager
hears you and transmitts this info to the national office. Locations info:
 

http://www.cat.com/about_cat/company_information/10_locations/north_america.html
 

http://www.cat.com/about_cat/company_information/10_locations/africa.html
http://www.cat.com/about_cat/company_information/10_locations/asia_pacific.html
 

http://www.cat.com/about_cat/company_information/10_locations/europe.html
http://www.cat.com/about_cat/company_information/10_locations/latin_america.html
 
 

For Rental locations, call 1-800-RENT CAT (U.S. and Canada) or visit:
http://www.cat.com/about_cat/company_information/company_information.html
 

2) Write to Caterpillar Management (sample letter below) demanding ceasing
sales to Israel until home demolitions and other destructive actions
(uprooting trees) ceases and asking Caterpillar instead to donate equipment
for rebuilding.  Write to:
 

Glen Barton
Caterpillar Chairman and CEO
c/o Benjamin Cordani
cordani_benjamin_s@cat.com
Caterpillar Inc.
100 N.E. Adams St.
Peoria, Illinois 61629
 (309) 675-1000
 

For Investor Info and to see if you want to take action through this avenue
visit
http://www.cat.com/about_cat/investor_information/15_contact_us/contact_us.html
 
 

3) Start a media campaign to publicize these issues.  Good resources for
this are:
 

http://al-awda.org/media/begin.html
http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/main.html
 

4) Spread the word, join us and tell us what you have done. Send copies of
your messages to Boycotts@mail.com.
 

5) To join the actions of this group, see http://BoycottIsraeliGoods.org
 

The Campaign to Boycott Israeli Goods and Services
http://BoycottIsraeliGoods.org
email: info@BoycottIsraeliGoods.org