Caterpillar and Corporate Accountability Moral choice “Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land has continued for more than 40 years. Undeniable misery is experienced every day by Palestinian Christians and Muslims. Our church should not profit from it.” We encourage the delegates of the United Methodist Church, meeting at its quadrennial convention in Fort Worth, TX, to divest from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation. In a letter from Caterpillar to Mr. Winkler, the corporation acknowledged its responsibility "to encourage the constructive use of its products." The corporation further declared that it does not "condone the illegal or immoral use of any Caterpillar equipment." In the same letter, Caterpillar hides behind a misleading interpretation of U.S. anti-boycott laws. These laws apply only to boycotts demanded by foreign countries. These laws pose no risk that Caterpillar will violate them by responding appropriately to pressure by U.S. churches, U.S. citizens, or U.S. pressure groups such as JVP or the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Nor do the U.S. anti-boycott laws prohibit or attempt to limit in any way the endorsement or advocacy of such divestment policies by U.S. organizations, individuals, or groups. Such advocacy is protected free speech under the First Amendment.
Caterpillar itself has acknowledged that it sells bulldozers under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales Program--in other words, it sells these bulldozers as weapons. It is time for caterpillar to show responsibility for its actions and to stop selling bulldozers to Israel until these gross human right violations end. © Copyright by JewishVoiceForPeace.org |
