Does the divestment campaign make you uncomfortable? It used to make me uncomfortable. And then Gaza ended all my misgivings. Not to mention the fact that most divestment campaigns are aimed specifically at the Occupation, which I've visited and which several South Africans have said is worse than apartheid. Jewish Voice for Peace and the activists inside the Protestant churches have supported divestment for that targeted reason. Long after Rachel Corrie was killed, Caterpillar still does business with Israel, and as someone wrote recently, the bulldozer ought to be on the Israeli flag.
Another reason to support divestment: 20 Israeli groups with diverse memberships have called for the Norwegian government's pension funds to divest from companies that serve the occupation. The list is below the excerpt:
We, Israeli organizations, comprised of Jewish and Palestinian women
and men and dedicated to building a just peace and to promoting human
rights and equal civil rights in Israel/Palestine,
Call upon the Norwegian people to join us in our efforts and to stop
investing in the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.
It has come to our attention that the Norwegian governmental Pension Fund, as of December 31st 2008, is heavily invested in corporations whose activities continuously support and maintain the Israeli occupation, in violation of international human rights and humanitarian law. These companies, both Israeli and international, build illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory or provide vital services to them; provide specifically designed equipment for the surveillance and repression of Palestinian population through restrictions of movement and collective punishments; or take part in the illegal exploitation of Palestinian nonrenewable natural resources for the needs of the Israeli market.
The Coalition of Women for Peace http://www.coalitionofwomen.org
Al- Tufula Center http://www.altufula.org
Bat Tzafon for Peace and Equality
Children of Abraham http://groups.google.com/group/bnei-avraham?hl=en
Hacampus Lo Shotek
Hithabrut – Tarabut http://www.tarabut.info
Humans without Borders – Assisting Medical Accessibility http://humanitywithoutborders.ning.com
Israel Social TV http://www.tv.social.org.il
Kayan – Feminist Organization http://www.kayan.org.il
MachsomWatch – Women against the Occupation and for Human Rights http://www.machsomwatch.org
Mossawa Center, the Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel http://www.mossawacenter.org
New Profile http://www.newprofile.org
Ta’ayush, Jewish Arab Partnership
The Alternative Information Center http://www.alternativenews.org
The Israeli Committee for Residency Rights (ICRR)
The Israeli Committee against House Demolitions http://www.icahd.org
Women against Violence http://www.wavo.org
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Israel Section
Yesh Gvul http://www.yeshgvul.org
Zochrot http://www.nakbainhebrew.orgMay 14, 2009
om
On June 10 Caterpillar holds its annual meeting in downtown Chicago. A number of us will be there to make our statement of the damage that this company has and does to U.S. foreign policy. Paid for by Foreign Military Sales through the Departments of State and Defense these weapons have led the way in destruction and death with no recourse legally for those on the wrong end of the blade. But to those who attend the shareholder meeting and to the majority of old white men that sit on the board profits are the supreme interest and their sweet words of concern for human rights are like Madoff voicing his concern for his clients….The U.S. government protects Caterpillar and Caterpillar assists the U.S. government and the devil may care about all the little folks who get in their way. That is U.S. foreign policy in a nutshell.
Please be certain to post your experience at the shareholders' meeting on this website, cherylb. Also, maybe you ought to start a website to have people join your cause before June 10. I believe there's an ability to force Caterpillar to provide you with a list of all shareholders for the purpose of getting a resolution on the annual ballot. Maybe you can email every shareholder with your concerns.
Phil, where can we get a listing of all the corporations that should be boycotted? Starbucks, Caterpillar, etc?
I'm referring to the US corporations, that is.
The companies which provide the Israeli military with equipment and services in the occupied West Bank and Gaza include Caterpillar, United Technologies, General Electric, ITT Corporation, Motorola and Terex.
Oscar, the wonderful groups: U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation, Jewish Voices for Peace, International Solidary Movement and a wonderful group of Catholic nuns (sorry I don't have their order at my fingertips) have been at the forefront of this issue. . Check out http://www.endtheoccupation.org site for info regarding the Chicago demonstration June 10 in front of the bank where the Caterpillar shareholders/board/management meet. You will be in the heart of the finacial district of Chicago and very close to Route 66. I laughingly state that the bank looks like the bank from Mary Poppins……and the Caterpillart board could be those he sat around the bank table…. the feeling is so similar….
Here's 26 more USA companies (easily recognized by US consumers) to boycott; the web site also includes a resource url to boycott by brand name: http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-israel.html
From Rachel's Parents: In February, Congressman Brian Baird, joined Congressman Keith Ellison from Minnesota, for a visit to Gaza and, also, Sderot in Israel. Congressman Baird has planned and organized a late May Congressional delegation to Israel, the West Bank, and hopefully Gaza (with some focus on Israeli/Palestinian groups working together for peace). In visiting with him this week, we learned that for reasons apparently related to schedule demands, not enough members of Congress have signed on to make the May trip viable. Unless there is a surge in interest, it appears that Congressman Baird will postpone this delegation until later in the year. We all know how important it is for people to see for themselves what is happening in Israel/Palestine. Please call and/or write to your Congressional members and urge them to join Congressman Brian Baird's delegation –either in May or later in the year (should it be postponed). Tell them that the financial investment we are making in this region and the relevance of Israel/Palestine to U.S. interests, require that they see the full picture. Tell them you want them to go.
"the bulldozer ought to be on the Israeli flag." This is a great idea. In fact, it shouldn't be just a bulldozer. As part of their new "branding campaign", Israel should redesign its flag completely, basing the new design on an image of a bulldozer knocking down a Palestinian home, with an American woman caught in the middle and crushed to death. That would show the world that Israel is tough and shouldn't be messed with, which I'm sure is the kind of image that they would love to project.
Great to see that people are excited about boycott and divestment. Please do check out the US Campaign website, especially here (http://www.whoprofits.org to put pressure on CAT. The site will be updated soon so that you can send emails to CAT management and shareholders. Also, the best comprehensive list of companies to target with boycotts and divestment is http://www.whoprofits.org
By the way, on http://www.whoprofits.org, you can search by country of origin (i.e. U.S. companies) or country of operation by using the Advanced Search option.