An Israeli settler stands by while a Caterpillar bulldozer clears the ground next to the Carmel settlement, south of the West Bank city of Hebron. The Netanyahu administration has thus far refused to stop the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. (Mamoun Wazwaz, Maan Images)

On June 10, Caterpillar, Inc. held its annual shareholders meeting at the North Trust Bank Building in Chicago, IL. For years, Caterpillar has been under pressure from shareholders and human rights organizations regarding its sale of bulldozers to the Israeli military. The military has used CAT's D9 armored bulldozers to carry out documented human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Such violations include the punitive demolition of thousands of Palestinian homes, the uprooting of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian-owned olive and fruit trees, and the construction of the Annexation Wall, ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice.

At this year's meeting, a group of concerned shareholders comprised of interfaith organizations including Jewish Voice for Peace, Mercy Investment Program, and 16 Catholic orders put forward a resolution which called for a review of Caterpillar sales to countries with poor human rights records, including Israel.

Caterpillar's board members faced criticism of their business practices from members of Jewish Voice for Peace, the Sisters of Loretto, and Chicagoans Against Apartheid in Palestine. Katherine Fuchs, National Organizer for the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation spoke at the meeting as well, on behalf of shareholder Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights.

Repeatedly, Caterpillar CEO Jim Owens told those in attendance that if they don't like the way Caterpillar operates, then they don't have to hold on to their stock, effectively endorsing divestment from Caterpillar.

Owens' message reached at least one attendee. On his way out of the meeting, a shareholder who was previously unfamiliar with Caterpillar's role in human rights violations stated that he would follow Jim Owens' advice to divest of Caterpillar stock, as he feared a fall in stock price due to a decline in CAT's public image or lawsuits.

Outside of the meeting, U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation supporters and member groups held a rally, educating passersby and the media about CAT's link to war crimes in the occupied territories.

Efforts to promote divestment from corporations participating in or profiting from the Israeli military occupation of Palestine have made considerable progress recently. The Church of England and Hampshire College have both divested from Caterpillar. This month the French company Veolia recently bowed to human rights advocates and withdrew from the Jerusalem Light Rail project that would connect West Bank settlements to West Jerusalem via commuter rail. Similar European campaigns forced international financier Dexia to end its support for Israeli settlements on Occupied Palestinian Territory.