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BootCAT News Blog
News and Events on the BootCAT Campaign to Stop Caterpillar
:: Sunday, January 30, 2005 ::
Israeli group calls for sanctions against Israel
THE ISRAELI COMMITTEE AGAINST HOUSE DEMOLITIONS (ICAHD)
A STATEMENT ON SANCTIONS
January 25, 2005
After years of diplomatic and political efforts aimed at inducing Israel to end its Occupation, while watching it grow ever stronger and more permanent, ICAHD supports a multi-tiered campaign of strategic, selective sanctions against Israel until the Occupation ends; i.e. a campaign targeting Israeli Occupation rather than Israel per se. We believe that in most cases merely enforcing existing laws, international as well as domestic, would render the Occupation untenable and would pull Israel back into compliance with human rights covenants. We also favor selective divestment and boycott as tools of moral and economic pressure.
Since sanctions are a powerful, non-violent, popular means of resisting the Occupation, a campaign of sanctions seems to us the next logical step in international efforts to end the Occupation. While it will develop over time, ICAHD supports the following elements at this time:
- Sales or transfer of arms to Israel conditional upon their use in ways that do not perpetuate the Occupation or violate human rights and international humanitarian law, violations that would end if governments enforced existing laws and regulations regarding the use of weapons in contravention of human rights;
- Trade sanctions on Israel due to its violation of the Association Agreements it has signed with the European Union that prohibit the sale of settlement products under the "Made in Israel label", as well as for violations of their human rights provisions;
- Divestment from companies that profit from involvement in the Occupation. In this vein ICAHD supports initiatives like that of the Presbyterian Church of the US which targets companies contributing materially to the Occupation and certainly the campaign against Caterpillar whose bulldozers demolish thousands of Palestinian homes;
- Boycott of settlement products and of companies that provide housing to the settlements or which play a major role in perpetuating the Occupation; and
- Holding individuals, be they policy-makers, military personnel carrying out orders or others, personally accountable for human rights violations, including trial before international courts and bans on travel to other countries.
ICAHD calls on the international community governments, trade unions, university communities, faith-based organizations as well as the broad civil society to do all that is possible to hold Israel accountable for its Occupation policies and actions, thereby hastening the end of this tragedy. While we also call on the Palestinian Authority to adhere to human rights conventions, our support for selective sanctions against Israel's Occupation policies focuses properly on Israel which alone has the power to end the Occupation and is alone the violator of international law regarding the responsibilities of an Occupying Power.
http://www.icahd.org
:: Thursday, January 27, 2005 ::
Letter from CAT CEO Jim Owens, August 22, 2003
August 22, 2003
Ms. [changed from Mr.] Liat Weingart
Jewish Voice for Peace
1611 Telegraph Avenue Suite 500
Oakland, CA 94612
Dear Ms. [changed from Mr.] Weingart:
Thank you for your recent letter (undated), which was addressed to our
Director, Peter Magowan, and sent to our corporate headquarters. On behalf
of the company, this letter addresses some of your concerns.
Along with our Board of Directors, we share your concern over unrest in the
Middle East and grieve the countless innocent victims on both sides of this
conflict. Our greatest hope is that the road map for peace recently outlined
for the region will successfully bring an end to the violence and the advent
of rebuilding both relationships and cities.
A global company like Caterpillar touches nearly every country and corner of
the world, including the Middle East. With more than two million machines
and engines at work each day, however, we have neither the legal right nor
the ability to monitor and police individual use of that equipment.
As I'm sure you understand, as a private company, we do not set foreign
policy, nor are we legally allowed to create a policy of our own. Rather, we
fully abide by the laws, policies and direction set forth by the United
States and local governments. We take pride in our reputation for integrity
and work closely with the Bureau of Export Administration and the Office of
Foreign Assets Control to ensure compliance in all the work we do.
With regard to Israel, sales between Caterpillar and the U.S. government are
openly conducted through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales Program. Created
under the Camp David Accord, the Foreign Military Sales Program allocates
funds to be used by foreign militaries in the purchase of American-made
commercial products, of which Caterpillar products are included.
Again, we share your aspiration for a peaceful resolution and sympathize
with the innocent victims on both sides affected by this strife. As we move
toward (hopefully) an end to the violence, we believe any comments on
foreign policy or actions needed in the region are best left to our
governmental leaders who have the ability to impact action and advance the
peace process.
Sincerely,
James W. Owens
:: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 ::
Ralph Nader and Howard Zinn speak, Sat Jan 29th
Saturday, Jan. 29th 2pm
First Unitarian Parish in Cambridge- 3 Church Street
Ralf Nader, Howard Zinn, and Patti Smith will be giving a talk on the War in
Iraq. Admission is $10.
Members of the BootCAT Campaign will be on hand to pass out pamphlets and
petitions.
Posted by Blythe
:: Sunday, January 23, 2005 ::
Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church counter protest
On Sunday January 16th, members of the BootCat campaign participated in a
counter protest at the Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church. The church had
invited members of 'Boston to Palestine' to speak at a potluck brunch.
This sparked a group called the 'Christian Jewish Anti-Terror Alliance' to
protest outside of the church that morning. Pro-Palestine activists and
supporters of the International Solidarity Movement also congregated outside
of the church to form a counter demonstration and create visibility for
human rights violations against Palestinians.
The event was covered in the Somerville Journal on January 20th. You can
read more at
http://www2.townonline.com/somerville/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=167510
Caterpillar Campaign Meeting Feb. 2
The next meeting of the Caterpillar Campaign will be on Wednesday, February
2nd from 6:30 - 8:30 PM. Please join us at the Christ Church Cambridge Vestry, Zero Garden Street, Harvard Square T Stop.
:: Thursday, January 13, 2005 ::
Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King: events this week
Events commemorating Dr. King in Boston/Cambridge this week:
(members of the BootCAT Campaign plan to participate)
* January 13: 6:30 - 10:30 PM (Boston)
Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration
Auditorium, Mass College of Art, 621 Huntington Ave
Program starts at 6:30pm with talks and performances, including a
discussion on the Palestinian conflict by Nancy Murray & others.
* January 17
2:30 - 3:15 PM (Cambridge)
Cambridge City Hall, 795 Mass. Ave. Central Square
Be visible in honor of Martin Luther King's birthday and his legacy.
Stand Out at Cambridge City Hall
3:15 PM - 4:30 PM (Cambridge)
Community Gathering at St. Peter's Church 838 Mass. Ave.
Gather indoors for hot drinks and inspirations. A time to share your
reasons for keeping peace and justice alive for the next 4 years and to
hear community members read the words of Martin Luther King Jr.
4:30 PM - 7 PM (Cambridge)
A Unity Party * FREE for ALL Ages *
The Middle East Downstairs 474 Mass Ave, Central Sq.
OPEN MIC (Sign up at 4:30 pm) OPENING CEREMONY @ 5:00 pm sharp 3 DJs
spinning conscious music Collective art installation. *Bring images or
objects to add to the Martin Luther King Jr Shrine*
Co-sponsors: AFSC, Cambridge Peace Commission, CEASE, CISPES,
Massachusetts Peace Action, United for Justice with Peace, WAND.
7:30 P.M. (Ipswich)
Martin Luther King, Jr. ANNUAL FORUM
Speakers include Susan Frey, Vietnam era Navy Nurse, Dr. Avi Chomsky of
Salem State College, Loyda Martinez of North Shore Community College.
Congregational Church, intersection of Market St. and North Main St.
:: Friday, January 07, 2005 ::
Palestine Olive Harvest 2004, Sunday Brunch Talk
Palestine Olive Harvest 2004
Come see pictures and hear stories of Palestinians struggling for freedom.
Sunday, January 9, 2005
12 pm potluck brunch, 1 pm slideshow by Matt O.
The Kings' House
4 Yarmouth St. (enter through the rear)
For more information, see BostontoPalestine's website:
http://www.ismboston.org
Directions: (Don't drive, there's almost no parking)
Orange line to Back Bay station. Exit on Dartmouth St., take left,walk to
intersection, take right onto Columbus Ave, take first right onto Yarmouth
St. 4 Yarmouth is on the left side, walk around through the parking lot
in the rear.
Green Line to Copley. Walk down Dartmouth St. past Public Library and
Copley Place to Columbus Ave. Follow directions above.
-- forwarded from Ben Scribner, B2P
:: Thursday, January 06, 2005 ::
Bulldozers go in as expansion of settlements continues
This news article by Chris McGreal posted in the Gaurdian (Dec 14, 2004) is yet another account of the use of bulldozers to destroy Palestinian homes and fields; an illustration of caterpillar's complicity in the ravaging of the West Bank and Gaza.
The article was submitted by John Roberts. An excerpt: "Sharif Omar has been waiting two years for the bulldozers, ever since Israel's steel and barbed wire 'security fence' carved its way between his village and its land. Last week the excavators and diggers finally arrived on the outskirts of Jayyous to lay the foundations for an expansion of the nearby Jewish settlement of Zufim, fulfilling the fears and warnings of its Palestinian neighbours.
The bulldozers were preparing the ground for hundreds of new homes, despite the Israeli government's claim that it is not expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Like other building work along the route of the barrier, it seems to be an attempt to ensure that the land between the fence and the 1967 border remains in Israeli hands in any final agreement with the Palestinians."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1372963,00.html
BootCAT News Blog Created!
The BootCAT News Blog has been setup now. It allows authorized members of the BootCAT community to post relevant news articles and events on the BootCAT Campaign to Stop Caterpillar. Articles on the blog are ordered chronologically, can allow people to email or comment on them, and are archived on a monthly basis.
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