Caterpillar fashion
By Gideon Levy
July 24 2008
Haaretz

Israel might be able to go on claiming that it will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East, but it cannot do the same regarding another weapon of mass destruction: the bulldozer. The claim that terror has adopted an original new weapon, a “new fashion” as the public security minister put it, once again shows how convenient it is for us to present a one-sided and distorted picture.

The bulldozer as a destructive and even lethal weapon was not invented by the Palestinians. They are merely imitating an Israeli “fashion” that is as old as the state, or at least as old as the occupation. Let us forget for a moment the 416 villages Israel wiped off the face of the earth in 1948 – that was before there were D9 bulldozers – and focus on a more modern fashion. In Israel’s hands the bulldozer has become one of the most terrifying weapons in the territories. The only difference between the Palestinians’ murderous bulldozer and the Israeli bulldozer is in color and size. As usual, ours is bigger, much bigger. There is no similarity between the small backhoe the Palestinian terrorist was driving and the fearsome D9 driven by Israel Defense Forces soldiers.

From the dawn of the occupation, Caterpillar has been a major arms supplier to Israel, no less than those who provide planes, cannons and tanks. Not for nothing are peace activists trying to call for a boycott of the manufacturer. Israel has sown almost unimaginable destruction using heavy equipment. Go to Rafah, stopping in Khan Yunis on the way, and see the results of the destruction scattered there to this day. Whole neighborhoods razed, the contents of houses – possessions and memories – crushed under the treads. Have you ever seen a street after being “stripped” by a bulldozer? Cars are crushed like tin cans and homes become piles of rubble, along with their contents. Any street in Rafah looks much worse than King David Street in Jerusalem this week.

In 2004, for example, 10,704 Palestinians were made homeless after the IDF destroyed 1,404 homes, mostly in Gaza, due to “operational needs.” In the Jenin refugee camp, Israel destroyed 560 homes; the legendary bulldozer driver “Kurdi” told how he would swig whiskey as he “turned Jenin into a soccer field.” In Operation Rainbow, another bulldozer operation, Israel destroyed 120 homes in one day in the Brazil camp in Rafah. Only someone who was in Rafah and Khan Yunis at the time can understand what our excellent bulldozers did.

Do not say that our bulldozers only destroy but do not kill. Who killed peace activist Rachel Corrie if not a bulldozer whose driver, according to witnesses, saw her before he crushed her to death? And what about the Shubi family in the Nablus casbah – a grandfather, two aunts, a mother and two children – crushed under bulldozers? And who killed Jamal Faid, a handicapped man from the Jenin camp, whose wheelchair only was found under the ruins of his house, with his body never recovered? Was that not bulldozer terror?

The Palestinians discovered the bulldozer quite late. What is good for us is good for them. And how do our security experts propose to fight the new fashion? By demolishing the houses of the terrorists. With bulldozers, of course.

One of the four mission statements of Caterpillar declared that “Caterpillar is dedicated to improving the quality of life while sustaining the quality of our earth. We encourage social responsibility.”

On Caterpillar’s “Corporate Overview” page about its social responsibility:

Caterpillar’s reputation for making a difference in the world is something we are proud of as a company. In response to the Asian Tsunami disaster, Caterpillar and its dealers provided machines, money and resources for relief and recovery efforts. Caterpillar is also proud to be the lead corporate donor in The Nature Conservancy’s Great Rivers Partnership project. And Cat has once again been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.

And yet, why is Caterpillar continuing to sell and service bulldozers to Israel, knowing that these giant demolition machines are then used to destroy Palestinian homes and farms as a form of collective punishment and land expropriation ? What kind of social responsibility is Caterpillar encouraging? Is Caterpillar proud of being the corporation known as the provider of machines used in the killing of Rachel Corrie, who put her body in the path of an Israel D9 bulldozer in trying to prevent the destruction of a Palestinian home?

Caterpillar’s response to this criticism is that “activists have wrongly included Caterpillar in a publicity campaign aimed at advancing their much larger political agendas,” and that “as a well-respected and responsible global citizen, Caterpillar fully complies with all local, U.S. and international laws and policies governing sales of their products.” Furthermore, Caterpillar has “neither the legal right nor the tangible ability to regulate how customers use their machines.”

So essentially, Caterpillar is saying that they are here to make a bunch of money and they do not give a damn on how their machines are being utilized as long as the money keeps coming in. Is this the role of a “global strategic player” that “is driving positive and sustainable change on every continent”, as claimed by Caterpillar?

Also, what does it say about IBM in electing the CEO of Demolition Inc to its board?

After watching the documentary “The Corporation“, i started asking myself, since i am already not buying any products of the companies/countries that i am boycotting, why don’t i take it up another notch and stop investing in them as well? Why should i invest my money in companies/corporations known to operate sweatshops in third world countries, manufacture products without any care to the damages inflicted to the environment, selling weapon systems knowing that they will be used not in defense but in killing and destroying civilizations? The Israelis are already getting more than $3 billion dollars a year out of my hard-earned tax dollars, why should i cough up more money for Israeli firms so that Israel can continue its land theft and the gradual ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians?

You are probably thinking, what difference does withholding my meager contribution make? Well, probably negligible. That is, if everyone thinks that way. If everyone thinks that way, things will remain the same. Corporations will not be held accountable for their immoral and unethical actions in the process of making billions of dollars for its executives, and countries will not be punished or sanctioned while they continue to flout every known human rights law.

So starting today, i will make sure that the portfolios i have in my 401K retirement plan and Roth IRA follow the guideline listed below:

1. No “defense” industry-related companies. I don’t see how it is morally comprehensible for companies to make money off killing and maiming by selling weapons of mass destructions. Even if only a portion of a company is involved in this industry, they will not get a penny from me. So Boeing is out.
2. No companies with known records of destroying the environment.
3. No tobacco companies.
4. No Israeli firms. As long as Israel continues to occupy the land it forcibly took in 1967, they can kiss my investment goodbye. Right now, i will not invest in companies based in Israel or with strong ties to Israel. Eventually, my goal is to include companies with investments in Israel, like Microsoft, HP, Intel, Starbucks, McDonalds and so on. There are currently several campaigns to divest from Israel.
5. No Caterpillar. Even when confronted with facts that the Israelis are using their bulldozers to tear down Palestinian homes (either as a form of collective punishment or continuation of the process to steal land for settlements), Caterpillar continues to sell bulldozers and equipments to the state of Israel.
6. No companies with bad labor practices.

I am sure this list will be expanded.