July 13, JVP E-Newsletter

• Corrie et al v. Caterpillar, Inc.
  
• JVP olive harvest delegation
• New book on Jews and Palestinians 
  

Caterpillar may want to ignore any responsibility for the sale of bulldozers to Israel used to demolish the homes and uproot the orchards of Palestinian civilians, but we won't let them.

On Monday, July 9th, the family of Rachel Corrie, and 4 Palestinian families--whose family members were killed or injured when Caterpillar bulldozers demolished their homes on top of them- finally got their day in court. Representing the families at the U.S. Court of Appeals in Seattle were Duke University law professor Erwin Chemerinsky, attorneys from  the International Human Rights Clinic at Seattle University School of Law, and Maria LaHood from the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York. Read more about the case  here, or listen to audio of the hearing here (paste case number  into form, and click submit).

As Rachel Corrie's mother Cindy wrote, "It was moving and momentous, after four years of seeking accountability, to actually be in a court room, to feel a bit of the majesty of the law and the hope that we still find in it."

JVP was among the many supporters outside: a crew of members from the Seattle and Puget Sound chapters (photo above) joined the  coalition of peace activists  in front of the courthouse and held signs rooted in our Jewish values and our respect for human rights. As a national organization with regional chapters (and more on the way) we are able to respond more quickly and to multiply our voices.

This action was on the heels of our work in June in Chicago, where JVP once again introduced a shareholder resolution that put Caterpillar on notice about its corporate misconduct, generating global attention about the inhumane policy of home demolitions. JVP has been working in coalition with the Sisters of Loretto and the Mercy Investment Group on these resolutions, which bring the issue of home demolitions to the mailboxes of every CAT shareholder and to the ears of CAT's Board of Directors.

Join JVP's olive harvest delegation: October 2007
The JVP Health and Human Rights Project (HaHRP-formerly Jewish American Medical Project) announces its fifth delegation to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, 20 October - 3November 2007. We help delegation members connect to their counterparts in Israel/Palestine so they can provide assistance while learning first-hand of the situation on the ground. 

Photo: Palestinian child getting care from pediatrician on HaHRP delegation.

Upon returning, delegation members are expected to use their experience to educate others.  While HaHRP began as a medical aid project, we have broadened our focus to enable people with different skills and interests to contribute, including volunteers to help Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian Territories to harvest their olives. For more information please go here.