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Contacts: Noura Erekat
(510) 847-4239 Parents of American Woman Killed by Bulldozer
Confront June 14, 2006 – On the same day that the Presbyterian Church begins a four-day summit to debate, among other issues, possible divestiture from Caterpillar, Inc., religious, human rights groups and investors will challenge Caterpillar’s human rights record at the company’s annual shareholder meeting. Among the attendees of the shareholder meeting will be the parents of Rachel Corrie, a young American woman killed by a Caterpillar D9 bulldozer in 2003 while nonviolently protecting the home of a Palestinian family. Jewish and Christian institutional investors have filed a resolution asking for greater corporate accountability from Caterpillar, citing the company’s lack of responsiveness to divestment campaigns, negative publicity and worldwide protests waged against the company. Caterpillar is the most visible target of a divestment campaign waged by Christian institutional investors representing over 1/2 billion people, including the Presbyterian Church USA, the World Council of Churches, the Church of England and the Church of Scotland. CAT is facing a global surge in negative coverage about the company’s complicity and cooperation in Israel’s razing of civilian homes and has responded to negative publicity by launching a multi-million dollar public relations campaign to minimize brand risk. Caterpillar has also come under fire from the international human rights community, in which there is near-universal condemnation of the company’s policy of supplying bulldozers as weapons to Israel’s military. Sydney Levy, member of Jewish Voice for Peace, said, “Management’s response to an international uproar over its sale of bulldozers to Israel for use as weapons has been a major public relations blitz. If you ask Nike and WalMart, you’ll find PR blitzes are too little, too late. Public relations campaigns didn’t help either company deflect attention away from their unacceptable labor practices.” Matt Gaines of the STOP CAT Coalition said, “We are not calling on Caterpillar to stop selling to Israel. We are calling on CAT to stop selling a particular type of bulldozer that is used consistently to violate human rights to the Israeli military. Sales of home-crushing bulldozers are undermining the efforts of the international community to create peace in the region.” Since 1967, Caterpillar bulldozers have destroyed over 12,000 civilian homes in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, leaving over 50,000 men, women and children homeless. Even though Israel officially ended its policy of punitive home demolitions, the vast majority (over 85%) continue under a policy of administrative home demolitions, meaning homes are typically destroyed due to minor permit violations. Jewish Voice for Peace has launched a campaign website (www.catdestroyshomes.org) which features news, high resolution photographs, action alerts, and background information. ### |
