BootCAT: Caterpillar Campaign FAQs

Caterpillar Campaign FAQs

What's Caterpillar got to do with Palestine?

The Israeli army frequently destroys the homes of already-impoverished Palestinian civilians. Since the beginning of Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank in 1967, Israel has destroyed over 12,000 buildings, leaving more than 50,000 men, women and children homeless. The IDF weapon of choice in its home demolition campaign is Caterpillar D-9 bulldozers to which Israel attaches armor.

Are home demolitions necessary to protect Israel from terrorists?

The vast majority of home demolitions are directed against civilians who have not been charged with terrorism or any other crimes. Demolitions are used as collective punishment, to clear the way for illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands, or simply to assert Israeli dominance over Palestinians' lives. Home demolitions don't prevent terrorism - they deepen the poverty, anger and despair that fuel violence. If Israel is serious about protecting civilian lives, it must address the root causes of terrorism by respecting democracy, self-determination and human rights in Palestine.

What does all this have to do with me?

The Caterpillar bulldozers that destroy homes are partly financed by your tax dollars. Israel is the world's largest beneficiary of American military and economic aid. In FY 2003 Israel will receive a total of nearly $15 billion in U.S. aid, including nearly $4 billion in military grants. A considerable portion of military grants are spent on arms and equipment from U.S. corporations. The American government and U.S. corporations have long played a key role in Middle Eastern politics, financing and arming dictatorships in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. As Americans, we need to take responsibility for ensuring that our money is not used to support brutality and oppression. We should promote peace, democracy and social justice in the Middle East and around the world.

What is this campaign asking of Caterpillar?

We are demanding that Caterpillar halt sales of its equipment to the Israeli army.

Why target one company? What effect can Caterpillar have?

By forcing a major corporation to publicly acknowledge Israel's violence toward civilians, this campaign will raise public awareness about the nature of the occupation and the United States' role in supporting it. Public pressure on corporations to stop doing business with oppressive governments helped end apartheid in South Africa and other forms of injustice around the world.

Is this campaign winnable?

Unlike arms manufacturers, Caterpillar sells mostly to civilians. It has many customers in the Arab world. Sales to the Israeli army represent a small part of Caterpillar's total business. So the company may well be willing to give up its Israeli army contracts in order to preserve its corporate reputation with Arab and Western civilian customers.

Updated: Jan 5, 2005