Center for Constitutional Rights
Earlier this week, Israeli media reported that Caterpillar is suspending the delivery of tens of D9 bulldozers – valued at $50 million – to the Israeli military. This represents a significant step towards holding Israel accountable for its use of Caterpillar
bulldozers, which are provided at U.S. taxpayer expense as military aid, to commit human rights violations.
This news comes in the midst of a civil trial in Israel brought by the family of Rachel Corrie, an American student activist, who was crushed to death in 2003 by a Caterpillar D9R bulldozer while nonviolently protecting a Palestinian home from demolition by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Rafah, Gaza. To read CCR staff attorney Katherine Gallagher’s blogs from the trial last week, please click here <http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=192744> and here.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vincent-warren/live-from-the-corrie-tria_b_772735.html>
In 2005, CCR sued Caterpillar on behalf of the Corries
and four Palestinian families whose family members were
killed or injured when bulldozers demolished their
homes on top of them.
The suit, which was ultimately
dismissed, charged Caterpillar with aiding and abetting
war crimes and other serious human rights violations on
the grounds that the company provided bulldozers to the
IDF knowing they would be used unlawfully to demolish
homes and endanger civilians. Learn more about the use
of Caterpillar bulldozers by Israel to commit human
rights abuses against Palestinians by clicking here.
<http://endtheoccupation.org/section.php?id=335>
Please act to halt all future deliveries of
Caterpillar bulldozers to Israel. Sign a petition to
the Obama Administration asking it to stop the delivery
of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers to the Israeli military,
and to investigate Israel’s violations of U.S. laws
committed with Caterpillar equipment.
<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/641/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5076>
On a related note, the Rachel Corrie Foundation has submitted a paper
<http://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/session9/US/RCF_RachelCorrieFoundation.pdf>
as part of the UN
Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United States,
which will take place next week, documenting how the
United States has failed to uphold its human rights
obligations in Rachel’s case. CCR also submitted a report
<http://ccrjustice.org/files/USUPR_CorpAcct_Final_All.pdf>
highlighting serious shortcomings in the U.S.
response to corporate human rights violations,
including in the case of Caterpillar. CCR will be
co-hosting a panel discussion at the UPR on corporate
accountability that will feature Sangina Patnaik,
Rachel Corrie’s cousin. More information about this
event can be found at CCR’s events page.
Thank you for signing the petition.
<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/641/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5076>
Sincerely,
Annette Dickerson, Director of Education and Outreach
Center for Constitutional Rights, 666 Broadway 7th floor
New York, NY 10012 phone: 212-614-6464
http://www.ccrjustice.org
==========
Stop Delivery of CAT D9 Bulldozers to Israel
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/641/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5076
On October 25, Israel’s Channel 2 news program reported
that Caterpillar is delaying the delivery of tens of D9
bulldozers – valued at $50 million – to the Israeli
military.
This news comes in the midst of a civil trial in Israel
brought by Cindy and Craig Corrie, of US Campaign
member group the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and
Justice, whose daughter Rachel was killed by the
Israeli military with a Caterpillar D9 bulldozer as she
nonviolently tried to prevent the demolition of a
Palestinian home in the occupied Gaza Strip in March
2003.
Sign our petition to the Obama Administration calling
on it not to allow the delivery of D9 bulldozers to the
Israeli military, and to investigate Israel’s
violations of U.S. laws with Caterpillar equipment.
Dear President Obama,
On October 25, Israel’s Channel 2 news program reported
that Caterpillar is delaying the delivery of tens of D9
bulldozers – valued at $50 million – to the Israeli
military. Neither Caterpillar nor the U.S. government
has denied the report.
I strongly urge you to continue this suspension of U.S.
military aid. No deliveries of Caterpillar equipment to
the Israeli military should take place at least until
your Administration investigates Israel’s killing of
U.S. citizen Rachel Corrie with a Caterpillar
bulldozer, investigates Israel’s possible violations of
U.S. laws with Caterpillar equipment, takes appropriate
steps to correct any Israeli violations of these laws,
and puts in place verifiable mechanisms to ensure that
Israel follows all relevant U.S. laws in the future.
Israel utilizes these bulldozers – in violation of the
Arms Export Control Act and Foreign Assistance Act – to
commit human rights abuses of Palestinians, including
the injuring and killing of civilians; the destruction
of homes, infrastructure, and agriculture; and the
building of illegal settlements and Israel’s illegal
wall in the West Bank. I oppose my taxes, in the form
of military aid to Israel, being used for these
purposes.
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation PO Box 21539
Washington, D.C. 20009
Phone: (202) 332-0994 http://www.endtheoccupation.org/
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