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For decades the Caterpillar Corporation has supplied bulldozers to the Israeli military for use in home demolitions, as well as the construction of settlements on Palestinian territory and more recently of the Apartheid Wall. This corporate support for crimes against humanity was criticized frequently by groups like the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions, and Christian Peacemaker Teams over the years, but it wasn’t until early in the second Intifada that the idea of a focused campaign against Cat’s sales to the Israeli military was proposed. Recently, the Presbyterian Church US voted for a phased targeted divestment from companies supporting the Occupation. And Human Rights Watch has just called on Cat to end its sales to the IDF. Why CAT? There were several reasons for focusing activist pressure on Caterpillar:
Opposition growing Early on, the main groups working on the campaign were SUSTAIN (Stop US Tax-funded Aid to Israel Now), JVP (Jewish Voice for Peace), and some ISM support groups, notably in Chicago. In the summer of 2003, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation took on the campaign as its main activist focus. In the last few months it has organized a national network of Cat Campaign contacts – local activists who will serve to coordinate education and action around Cat nationally. JVP has taken the lead in drafting a shareholder’s resolution that calls on Cat to launch an investigation into whether its equipment is being used to violate international law. This resolution will be reintroduced in April. The Presbyterian Church has pledged to vote its Cat stock in favor of the JVP resolution. Shortly before resolution is introduced, there will be a national day of action against Cat. Check the US Campaign’s website, http://www.endtheoccupation.org, for the exact day. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mark Lance is Professor of philosophy and professor of justice and peace at Georgetown University. He has been an activist in anti-war, economic justice, and international solidarity movements for two decades. He can be reached at abuemma (at) mac.com