VETERANS ARE CALLED UPON TO LEAD AND DEMAND U.S. POLICY STAND UP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND END CATERPILLAR BULLDOZER DELIVERIES
Veterans: Stop the Destruction of our own Morality and National soul, Stand Up and Sign the Human Rights Petition to Demand President Obama Stop Caterpillar from Delivering U.S. American Made Taxpayer Funded Bulldozers of Shame to Israeli Military
Following recent reports that Caterpillar, Inc., is delaying delivery of D9 bulldozers–valued at $50 million–to the Israeli military, U.S. organizations today called on the Obama Administration to stop all deliveries of bulldozers to Israel, due to human rights concerns.
Israel’s Channel 2 News this week reported that Caterpillar is withholding delivery of tens of weaponized D9s, speculating that this “sounds like an American military sanction.”
The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and Jewish Voice for Peace have campaigned for years to hold Israel, Caterpillar, and the United States accountable for the Israeli military’s use of Caterpillar equipment to commit human rights abuses against Palestinians, including injuring and killing civilians; destruction of homes, infrastructure, and agriculture; and building illegal settlements and Israel’s illegal wall in the West Bank.
As veterans, you know war is all too real. It’s’ NOT a video game. Thus veterans have more empathy than most and know what destruction can do to real people. So read and endorse the Organizational Sign-On Letter to the Obama Administration to Stop Delivery of CAT Bulldozers to Israel.
NOTE: Only individuals authorized to endorse this letter on behalf of their organizations should sign this letter. Individuals are encouraged to sign a petition to President Obama by clicking here. The US Campaign will be accepting organizational endorsements of this letter until COB, Wednesday, November 3.
The full text of the organization’s open letter to the Obama Administration is here;
Dear President Obama,
We, the undersigned organizations, strongly urge you to continue suspending the delivery of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers to the Israeli military and to investigate Israel’s violations of U.S. laws with Caterpillar equipment.
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. Since these bulldozers are contracted for through the Department of Defense and paid for by the U.S. government, we applaud any step that your Administration has taken to delay the delivery of this equipment.
The report of the delay in the delivery of these bulldozers comes in the midst of a civil trial in Israel brought by the family of Rachel Corrie, a U.S. citizen who was killed on March 16, 2003 by the Israeli military with a Caterpillar D9 bulldozer as she nonviolently attempted to prevent a Palestinian home from being demolished in Rafah, in the occupied Gaza Strip.
What U.S. Leaders are saying about American Made Taxpayer Funded Caterpillar Bulldozers and their use for Destruction
Craig Corrie, Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, [email protected], (360)754-3998
“The Rachel Corrie Foundation views with grave concern the use of the weaponized Caterpillar D9 bulldozer in the Occupied Territories, not only for how it was used to crush Rachel Corrie but for its continued use in human rights violations against so many Palestinian families. This sanction must be maintained until all these violations are investigated and realistic mechanisms are in place to ensure they are not repeated. To do otherwise is to continue, as U.S. citizens, our own complicity in these crimes.”
Josh Ruebner, National Advocacy Director, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, [email protected], (202) 332-0994
“Caterpillar’s apparent decision to delay delivery of D9 bulldozers to the Israeli military represents an important milestone in the campaign to hold Israel, Caterpillar, and the United States accountable for the human rights abuses Israel commits with these weapons, which are paid for by U.S. taxpayers in the form of military aid to Israel. The Obama Administration should make sure that Israel receives no deliveries of these weapons at least until it investigates Israel’s prior human rights abuses committed with CAT bulldozers, including the killing of U.S. citizen Rachel Corrie, and puts in place mechanisms to ensure that these violations never occur again.”
Jen Nessel, Communications Coordinator, Center for Constitutional Rights, (212) 614-6449, [email protected]
“Caterpillar has long been on notice that the bulldozers it supplies to the IDF are being used to demolish Palestinian homes, leaving thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children homeless, and, kill civilians, as in the case of Rachel Corrie, Jamal Fayed, Ibrahim Mahmoud Mohammed Khalafallah, and eight members of Mahmoud Omar Al Sho’bi’s family, for example,” said Katherine Gallagher, Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights involved in the case Corrie v. Caterpillar. “We call not simply for a suspension of delivery of Caterpillar bulldozers during the trial, but for a permanent end to such deliveries.”
Rev. Dr. Jeffrey DeYoe, Advocacy Chair, Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.), [email protected]
“The Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has been calling attention to the mayhem and destruction brought upon Palestinian life and property by CAT D-9 bulldozers since 2004. We call upon our Church, the entire ecumenical/interfaith community, as well as the administration of President Barack Obama to now recognize Caterpillar, Inc.’s decision to delay delivery of a $50M order of these bulldozers to the Israel Defense Force as acknowledgment of the arguments by the global community that use of this weapon in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is in violation of international law and morally wrong. This decision by CAT also negates previous arguments by the company that it has no control over its dealers and the products they sell throughout the world.”
Sydney Levy, Director of Campaigns, Jewish Voice for Peace, [email protected], 415-994-4854
“We are pleased that the U.S. government appears to recognize that Caterpillar bulldozers are used to violate U.S. and international law. Caterpillar should not be allowed to profit from Israel’s human rights abuses.”
Rachel’s tragic death is one example among many of human rights abuses Israel commits with Caterpillar D9 bulldozers, which Caterpillar has provided to Israel knowing they are used to unlawfully demolish homes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, making Caterpillar complicit in these human rights abuses. According to the Israeli human rights organization B’tselem, since September 2000, Israel has killed 21 Palestinian civilians, including 7 children, in house demolitions. Israel often employs Caterpillar equipment in these demolitions.
In addition, Israel has utilized Caterpillar bulldozers to demolish thousands of Palestinian homes; to destroy Palestinian civilian infrastructure and agriculture; and to build illegal Israeli settlements, and Israel’s wall in the West Bank, which was ruled to be illegal by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July 2004.
Israel’s utilization of Caterpillar bulldozers to commit human rights abuses against Palestinians may violate U.S. laws, such as the Arms Export Control Act and Foreign Assistance Act, which are designed to prevent U.S. military aid from being utilized in this manner.
We believe that Israel’s utilization of Caterpillar equipment not only amply justifies delaying the delivery of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers to the Israeli military; we strongly believe that the Israeli military should not be eligible to receive any Caterpillar equipment at least until your Administration investigates the killing of Rachel Corrie, 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.
Signed by,
National Organizations
1. Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice
2. US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
3. American Muslim Association of North America
4. American Jews for a Just Peace
5. Center for Constitutional Rights
6. Israel/Palestine Action Group, Episcopal Peace Fellowship
7. Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.)
8. Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions–USA
9. Jewish Voice for Peace
10. Middle East Research and Information Project
11. New Internationalism Project, Institute for Policy Studies
12. Tikkun/Network of Spiritual Progressives
13. Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East
14. U.S. Dominican Palestine Coordinating Committee
Local Organizations
1. 3rd Congressional District Minnesota Peace Project, Plymouth, MN
2. 14 Friends of Palestine, San Rafael, CA
3. Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights, Portland, OR
4. Ann Arbor Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East, Ann Arbor, MI
5. Arab Jewish Partnership for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, Oak Park, IL
6. Bay Area Labor Committee for Peace and Justice, Oakland, CA
7. Bay Area Women in Black, Oakland, CA
8. Birthright Unplugged, Cambridge, MA
9. Blauvelt Dominican Sisters Social Justice Committee, New Rochelle, NY
10. Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights, Cambridge, MA
11. Central New York Working for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel, Cazenovia, NY
12. Chicagoans Against Apartheid in Palestine, Chicago, IL
13. Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, Kansas City, MO
14. Code Pink–West Virginia, New Martinsville, WV
15. Committee for Palestinian Rights, Columbia, MD
16. Committee for Peace in the Middle East, Louisville, KY
17. Families for Children of Oregon, Portland, OR
18. Free Palestine Movement, El Cerrito, CA
19. Friends of Palestine, Germantown, WI
20. Friends of Sabeel—Colorado, Littleton, CO
21. Friends of Sabeel–Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
22. Front Range Coalition for Mideast Justice and Peace, Denver, CO
23. Germantown Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Philadelphia, PA
24. Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy, Grand Rapids, MI
25. Granny Peace Brigade—New York, New York, NY
26. Interfaith Community for Palestinian Rights, Austin, TX
27. International Solidarity Movement–Chicago Chapter, Chicago, IL
28. International Solidarity Movement—DC/Maryland/Virginia Chapter, Washington, DC
29. International Solidarity Movement—Northern California, El Cerrito, CA
30. Iraq Peace Action Coalition, Apple Valley, MN
31. Jewish Voice for Peace—Bay Area Chapter, Albany, CA
32. Jewish Voice for Peace—Detroit Chapter, Detroit, MI
33. Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends, Ann Arbor, MI
34. Jews Say No!, New York, NY
35. Justice First Foundation, West Kingston, RI
36. Kalamazoo Nonviolent Opponents of War, Portage, MI
37. Lutherans for Justice in the Holy Land, Portland, OR
38. Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, Madison, WI
39. Media Island International, Olympia, WA
40. Middle East Justice and Peace of South Central Pennsylvania, Gettysburg, PA
41. Middle East Policy Advisory Council, Oakland, CA
42. MidEast: Just Peace, Cedar, MI
43. Minnesota Break the Bonds Campaign, St. Paul, MN
44. Minnesota Peace Project, Plymouth, MN
45. Northwest Middle East Peace Forum, Tacoma, WA
46. Olympia Friends Meeting (Quakers), Olympia, WA
47. Palestine Justice Network, Brooklyn, NY
48. Peace Initiatives Network, Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, Durham, NC
49. People for Justice in Palestine, Iowa City, IA
50. People of Faith CT—West Hartford, CT
51. Radio Free Maine, Augusta, ME
52. Real Politik, Brooklyn, NY
53. San Jose Peace and Justice Center, San Jose, CA
54. Shomer Shalom Institute for Jewish Nonviolence, Stony Point, NY
55. Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Apple Valley, MN
56. Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel, Montpelier, VT
57. Veterans for Peace—Local #126, San Antonio, TX
58. Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East—Boise Chapter, Meridian, ID
59. Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East–Unitarian Universalist Congregation Chapter, Blacksburg, VA
60. We Are Wide Awake, Clermont, FL
61. Women Against Military Madness—Middle East Committee, Minneapolis, MN
62. Women of a Certain Age, New York, NY
The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is a national coalition of more than 325 organizations working to end U.S. support for Israel’s illegal 43-year military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip, and to change U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine to support human rights, international law, and equality. For additional information, please visit www.endtheoccupation.org.
2010 Copyright – Johnny Punish
RESOURCES
- Sign the Petition
- End the Occupation
- Rachel Corrie Foundation
- Center for Consitution Rights
- Jewish Voice for Peace
Johnny Punish founded VT in 2004. After 20 years at the helm, he “retired” from the daily operations in late 2023 passing the ball over to the new owner of VT, Chief Justin Time. He now writes for VT as “Writer Emeritus”. He is also a global citizen eco-activist, visionary, musician, artist, entertainer, businessman, investor, life coach, podcast host, and syndicated columnist.
Punish is an ethnically cleansed Palestinian-American whose maternal family was evicted from their home in Haifa, Palestine in 1948 by Irgun; a Euro-Zionist Settler Terrorist Group. The family became part of the over 1,000,000 Palestinians who are Al-Nakba refugees (The Catastrophe). The family fled to Beirut Lebanon for 13 years eventually emigrating to the USA in 1961 via a Brasilian passport obtained by his Palestinian Brasilian-born grandmother (In the early 1900s, the family was sent to Sao Paolo Brasil as guest workers in the mining industry. Punish’s father is Italian-American from New York City. Punish’s paternal great-grandparents emigrated to the USA from Naples Italy and Marineo in Sicily in the 1890s. Punish was born in the Bronx, New York in 1963.
Punish was educated at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (1980-81) and California State University Fullerton (1981-1984) with studies in accounting and business. Before the “internets” had been invented, he owned and ran (5) national newspapers in the United States of America from 1987-1998. From 2004 to 2023, he owned and managed VT Foreign Policy retiring at the end of 2023.
Punish is also a recording artist. He has over 100 original songs written. He records and produces music. A member of ASCAP, Punish has several songs placed in feature films. His music is promoted worldwide and played on all digital networks and net radio.
He is also the founder and owner of Global Thinkers, a freedom media that helps free thinkers create real wealth.
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