Jewish Activists Disrupt Safety Awards at MINExpo to Protest Caterpillar’s Sales to Israeli Army
“Cat bulldozers that destroy family homes endanger the
safety of Palestinians and Israelis,” charge activists
Will picket today across from the Las Vegas Convention Center from 9 - 11am at the intersection of Paradise Rd. and
Convention Center Drive; large banner "Cat: Stop Bulldozing Peace"
Tuesday, September 28, 2004 (Las Vegas, NV) – Jewish peace activists protested Caterpillar’s safety record in the Middle
East when they disrupted the Caterpillar-sponsored Safety Awards earlier this morning at the MINExpo in Las Vegas,
Nevada. They unrolled a banner with a photo of an armored D-9 bulldozer destroying homes that read “What do Cat dozers
make possible? Death and destruction for Palestinians and Israelis.” The United Nations, Amnesty International, and
Human Rights Watch, in addition to many faith-based groups, have all condemned Caterpillar’s sale of bulldozers to
Israel which endanger the safety of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.
The activists, 31-year-old Seth Schneider and 44-year-old Sydney Levy of California-based Jewish Voice for Peace were
escorted out by security guards and their film was confiscated. They will be joined by others in protesting outside of
the convention center today from 9 am to 11 am.
“D-9 Caterpillars sold to the Israeli army are specifically designed to destroy homes and attack people in a war zone,”
said activist Sydney Levy. “They are retrofitted with armor, and some include grenade launchers and even crew-operated
machine guns.”
Protestor Seth Schneider said, “How can Caterpillar say with a straight face that it values safety, while profiting from
endangering the lives of Palestinians and Israelis. When it comes to Israel and Palestine , Caterpillar deserves a zero
safety-rating. The destruction of homes is illegal by international law, and it fuels the violent backlash against
Israeli civilians.”
Caterpillar equipment has demolished over 8,000 buildings in the West Bank and Gaza , leaving over 50,000 Palestinians
homeless. Caterpillar equipment destroyed an entire neighborhood in the Jenin refugee camp in April 2002. Caterpillar
bulldozers razed over 140 houses to the ground and severely damaged another 200 to the point of inhabitability. Human
Rights Watch reported that a Caterpillar bulldozer buried a paralyzed man alive in his home during the raid on Jenin,
despite pleas from his family to stop in time to evacuate him. A Caterpillar bulldozer killed American Rachel Corrie in
2003, as she nonviolently tried to stop the demolition of a Palestinian family’s home.
Jewish Voice for Peace Co-Director Liat Weingart said, “CAT is selling weapons of war. They are violating standards of
safety – and they are violating international law and basic human rights standards. This is certainly not something they
will want to put in their annual report.”
California-based Jewish Voice for Peace is the largest grassroots Jewish peace group in the United States . For more
information, go to www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org. Jewish Voice for Peace has launched a campaign website
(www.catdestroyshomes.org) which features news, photographs, action alerts, and background information.