Protestors for, Against Divestment Rally at Caterpillar Meeting
About 150 supporters and opponents of Israel’s occupation in the West Bank took to the streets Wednesday in an attempt to influence a key decision-making body of Caterpillar, Inc.
About 150 supporters and opponents of Israel’s occupation in the West Bank took to the streets Wednesday in an attempt to influence a key decision-making body of Caterpillar, Inc. – one of the companies that supply bulldozers for Israel – in Chicago.
The most prominent among the group was a coalition from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) – the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S. and the only church to officially begin considering divesting from groups that profit from Israel’s occupation.
The PC(USA)’s decision to begin the process of “selective phased divestment” has sparked heavy criticism and praise both inside and outside the denominational wall. In the most serious instance, a New York man sent out arson threats to the church’s headquarters in Louisville; the man was later arrested by FBI and police.
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Several Jewish groups have also criticized the PC(USA)’s move, calling it short-sided and unfair. However, more moderate Jewish groups and Christian denominations applauded the PC(USA) for acting boldly on the side of the weak.
The denomination has yet to decide whether it will fully move forward with the divestment plan, and if so, which companies to target.
While much speculation has been made on the list of companies – which a task force will draw out in coming months - Chicago-based Caterpillar Inc. has been often singled-out as an example of a business that “profits from destruction.”
According to PCNews, the “Israeli Defense Forces use Caterpillar bulldozers for a number of tasks, including razing the homes of Palestinians for security and non-security reasons.”
Caterpillar officials have countered the protests by saying it can’t control its customers and has no legal authority to tell them what to do with the equipment.
However, at the April 13 noon-time rally, the protestors with bullhorns, posters and large banners, urged Caterpillar to follow corporate responsibility policies and reconsider the use of its equipment.
The protestors also filed an official objection to the company’s practices through a shareholder proposal to put to a vote during the company’s annual meetingj. However, according to PCNews, the measure fell short of the four percent needed to be introduced.
We ask that Caterpillar not profit from destruction,” said Sara Norman, a board member of Jewish Voice for Peace, addressing Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Jim Owens and others at the shareholder’s meeting.
Jewish Voice for Peace was the primary filer of the resolution voted down during Wednesday’s meeting. The other organizations supporting the measure include the Mercy Investment Program, the Sisters of Loretto, and the PC(USA).
Meanwhile, some in the crowd stood in favor of Caterpillar and against divestment.
“It’s just all anti-Semitism,” said Rozs Rothstein, national director of StandWithUs, a Los Angeles-based pro-Israel advocacy organization.
“It’s a way to demonize Israel.”
Allyson Rowen Taylor, representing the American Jewish Congress. “Israel has every right to defend its citizens. Divestment is counter-productive."
