Monday, December 29, 2014

Underneath the Forest is Beautiful

Underneath the Forest is Beautiful

Continuity in Palestinian Historical Narratives


The myth of Palestine as an empty and arid land becomes more plausible in the Jewish psyche when all evidence of Palestinian villages are razed to the ground and forests and settlements have been built over them. Israeli narratives of the Jewish people returning to their empty homeland has a more solid impact on the psyche of the Jewish immigrant when Palestinian villages no longer exist to incite any questions on the indigenous population of the area. The role of this post is to point to the fact that the territorial continuity that the Israelis claim to exist between the Hebrews of yesterday and the Israeli settlers of today is not real: it is a constructive narrative of one Jewish organization known as the Jewish National Fund.  (Pappe, Ilan, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, p. 227). 

Destroying any trace of Palestinian villages, farms and orchards in land designated as Jewish in the United Nations Partition agreement has two major objectives in Israeli historical narratives. The first is to focus territorial disagreement between Palestinians and Israelis on land occupied by Israel in 1967. In the Israeli mindset, having no visible trace or evidence of a previous Palestinian presence in Israel removes an possible justification for considering this illegally claimed property and land on the podium of negotiations between the two parties (Pappe, Ilan, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, p. 221).  It also implies that the Palestinian Right to Return will not be recognized because any traces of Palestinian existence in the area has been hidden underneath the forests constructed by the Jewish National Fund. Second, everything in Gaza and West Bank, according to Israel, is open to negotiation due to the illegal Israeli settlements located in the West Bank and currently the illegally confiscated territory in Gaza as security buffers between Israel and the Palestinians living in Gaza.

Just like the olive trees that have been spotted making their way back to the top soil of these forests and overrunning the conifers (pine and cypress trees) that the Jewish National Fund has been so readily to plant instead of the indigenous trees (almond and olive trees) Palestinians have to make their voice heard by commemorating the Palestinian villages that lie underneath the soil. The settlement of Mijda Ha-Emek lies over the Palestinian village of Mujaydil, the settlement of Tirat Hacarmel settles over the Palestinian village of Tirat Haifa, Qiryat Shemona settlement replaced the Palestinian Khalsa village, and Ashkelon settlement has taken over the land the belonged to Majdal. Note that each Palestinian village was replaced by a Hebrew version of the Arabic name.

Not only were entire villages razed to the ground, architectural buildings that called attention to the Palestinian presence in Jewish urban areas were targeted by the Jewish National Fund for destruction in order to maintain the false historical narrative of Jewish only presence in the area. Masjad al Khayriyya in the City of Givatayim and Sarafand mosque in Haifa were destroyed. Church of Birwa in the Jewish settlement of Ahihud no longer exists there. Majdal and Qisarya mosques have been converted to restaurants, and the Beersheba mosque into a shop. Five thousand dunams of Huj village makes up Ariel Sharon’s private ranch of Havat Hashikmim.
 

We must all continue to approach the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from the starting point of the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people from their rightful property. The trauma and memory of fear as the Palestinians sought refugee from the horrors of the Jewish militia need to be the starting point in any dialogues between Palestinians and Israelis. We  must work diligently to replace the fabricated Israeli narratives as a continued presence in the area with the authentic version of the ancient and the on-going Palestinian presence in the area. 

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For more information please see ‘Ancient Cultural Roots:’

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Take Action!

Write to the President about Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine:


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Boycott for Peace! 
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Saturday, December 27, 2014

Boycott L'Oreal!






L’Oreal profits from and supports ethnic cleansing, horrendous labor practices, toxic ingredients, and false advertising.


 “L'Oreal has been present in Israel since 1983 via the Migdal Ha'Emek plant. The (illegal) settlement of this town was established in 1952 on lands belonging to the ethnically cleansed Palestinian village of al-Mujaydil, whose inhabitants are still denied the right to return to their homes. Like many other Israeli settlements in Palestinian villages, Migdal Ha-emek discriminates against Palestinian citizens of Israel, denying them the right to buy, rent or live on any part of the town, simply because they are 'non Jews'."  More information at the link: 

Learn about the punitive and ethic cleansing home demolitions pictured in the meme::
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L’Oreal owns a number of different brands which produce a wide range of products for men and women.  Check the list on this page:  http://www.inminds.com/boycott-l-oreal.html

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If you care about your health and your skin, you won’t use L’Oreal products anyway!

L’Oreal  isn’t necessarily safe for your skin—read about adverse reactions here: 
And here:

How about some lead in your lipstick? 

That lead caused them a class action lawsuit:

Lead’s not all,  "Cosmetics loaded with toxic metals, 'L’Oreal . . .  guilty:”  http://www.financialexpress.com/news/girls-beware-cosmetics-loaded-with-toxic-metals-l-oreal-hindustan-unilever-guilty/1218594
 
Banned chemicals,  “Chevallier says that L’Oreal marketed its Maybelline-brand lip gloss contaminated with DBP to South America. DBP is banned in South America because of its carcinogenicity and risks to reproductive health. He says the company untruthfully marketed a product called Pureology as formulated with vegan inputs, and that it used a banned substance called Triclosan despite saying it wouldn’t. . . . Chevallier says that in early July 2007 he learned that L’Oreal products in Europe contained a preservative, Kathon CG, above lawful levels and that this information had been omitted from the company’s computer system 'so as to avoid regulatory department scrutiny.' "  http://www.multinationalmonitor.org/mm2008/112008/names.html

More on toxic ingredients here:

Not surprisingly, L'Oreal has chosen not to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics:

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How do they get people to buy this stuff anyway?

L’Oreal uses false advertising to sell its products:
And:


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Their labor relations aren’t so red hot either:

L'OrĂ©al guilty of racism: 

L’Oreal engages in sexist, discriminatory, and unfair labor practices:

"Long working hours with no compensation, poor human resource policy, very high fluctuation:"  http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/L-Or%C3%A9al-Reviews-E3470.htm

L’Oreal & Child Labor?

And then there’s the little issue of a sweatshop:  “The company's clothing subsidiary, Ralph Lauren (Polo), was involved in the notorious Saipan sweatshop case where 30,000 garment workers on US territory were abused over the course of ten years.”  http://www.healthy-communications.com/7loreal_toxic_chemicals.htm

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Animal rights activists will want to know that L’Oreal has resumed animal testing for some of its products:  http://www.smh.com.au/world/loreal-buys-back-into-tests-on-animals-20130823-2sgzu.html

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Background photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons:


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Check out our complete boycott list here:
http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/2014/12/boycott-list.html

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Boycott for Peace! 
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Thursday, December 25, 2014

The Christmas Truce



In 1914, during World War I, a wide spread and unofficial Christmas Truce broke out along the front lines of German and British soldiers.





Christmas hymns were sung by the Germans in their trenches, with the British joining in from their own dug in positions.  The sides called out to each other, and agreed they would not shoot.  They tentatively met, shook hands, and exchanged uniform buttons and other tokens of friendship.

 


In some places along the front lines they even shared meals and engaged in friendly games of football!



If we remembered our humanity and put aside our differences on one sacred day, why not do so every day?

 

Please join us and Imagine Peace.




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Photo Credits

1.  Re-enactors Peter Knight and Stefan Langheinrich, descendants of Great War veterans, shake hands at the 2008 unveiling of a memorial to the 1914 Christmas Truce. 
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christmas_Truce_memorial_ceremony_2008.jpg

2,  British and German troops meeting in No-Mans's Land during the unofficial truce. (British troops from the Northumberland Hussars, 7th Division, Bridoux-Rouge Banc Sector).
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christmas_Truce_1914.png

3.  An article reporting the famous football match of the Christmas Truce during the First World War.  Unknown UK newspaper, 26 December 1914.  
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ChristmasTruce.jpg

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More Information on the Christmas Truce

 "During World War I, on and around Christmas Day 1914, the sounds of rifles firing and shells exploding faded in a number of places along the Western Front in favor of holiday celebrations in the trenches and gestures of goodwill between enemies."  Short video from the History Channel here:
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/christmas-truce-of-1914

"The Christmas truces were particularly significant due to the number of men involved and the level of their participation – even in very peaceful sectors, dozens of men openly congregating in daylight was remarkable – and are often seen as a symbolic moment of peace and humanity amidst one of the most violent events of human history."  Quote from an extensive and well documented article on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce

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For more posts in the holiday spirit, see:
Jesus of Palestine
Merry Christmas from Bethlehem

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We can Imagine Peace, and then make it real!

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Boycott for Peace!
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Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas from Bethlehem

“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf

The little town of Bethlehem now lies behind one of Israel's apartheid walls:




This is one of Israel's many illegal apartheid walls. They are used to control Palestinian movement, separate Palestinian communities from each other and from the farm land that supports the communities, and to separate Palestinian and Israeli people from each other. The walls that have been built within the West Bank, as shown on this map, clearly demonstrate the on-going land grabs that Israel has been involved with in the illegally occupied territory. Through the use of these walls, which funnel the movement of Palestinian people towards Israeli controlled check points, Israel effectively "controls all Palestinian borders, all imports and exports, and all movement between towns and cities." Please see:  http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/2014/10/it-is-up-to-us-to-be-change.html, for a view of the wall around Gaza, compete with automated guard tower.

Israel makes a point of identifying itself as a Jewish State, and as such, it discriminates equally against Christian and Muslim Palestinian people, as we see in the quote below:

"Residents of Beit Jala (a neighborhood in Bethlehem) held their last weekly mass Friday (1.24.14) in an area threatened by Israel's separation wall as locals awaited a decision from Israel's Supreme Court on an appeal to halt the land seizure.

"Around 60 Palestinians, internationals and representatives of the Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran churches gathered on an olive tree-covered hilltop in the Cremisan Valley to pray for a halt to Israel's separation wall, which is set to annex the entire lush green area north of Beit Jala."
 From:  http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=667741

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Read about how Bethlehem became a ghetto here:
http://threecupsofnescafe.blogspot.com/2011/12/merry-christmas-world-from-bethlehem.html


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"The Holy Land is Coveted.  It is profoundly walled.  Few outsiders realize to what extent."

Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed.  On Foot Through the Holy Lands. National Geographic, December 2014.


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In the spirit of the season, please also visit our post, Jesus of Palestine.

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Merry Christmas from the little ghetto of Bethlehem - See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf~~~  

Take Action!

Write the President: Why does the US support and arm ethnic cleansing?

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A special thank you to Sophia Ponders of, The Truth- Muslims, Christians and Jews Together for Palestine, for help with this post.

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Boycott for Peace! 
 
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Use the buttons below to e-mail, reblog, tweet, share, or pin:
“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf
“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf
“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf
“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf

Monday, December 22, 2014

Debka: Palestinian Folk Dance

Palestinian Folklore: Debka

Keeping Palestinian Traditions Alive


The tradition of debka dance has several variations among Mediterranean regions and the Tigris River, but ever since 1948 debka has taken on a new meaning for Palestinians. Palestinian debka has become a very important tool at instilling in the Palestinian a sense of identity and steadfastness in the younger generation.

For example, the lyrics for Al Zareefa at-Tloo originally told the story of a two lovers who are expressing the pain of separation. After 1948, the lyrics came to express the pain and homesickness of Palestinians in the Diaspora who were separated from their homeland and loved one. Some of the lyrics to the song are included in the next paragraph.

Oh Zareef al-Tool stop so I can tell you
You are going abroad and your country is
Better for you
I am afraid that you will get established there
And find someone else and forget me

Illustrations of the debka date back to the Phoenicians where drawing on pottery show the act of dancing in circles around a piper. Another narrative on the origins of the debka dance describes the thumping the floor hard with the feet as representing the act of compacting dirt, straw and mud into a material to use to make the roofs of Palestinian homes. The stomping represents pastoral work scenes from tilling the soil, harvesting, planting, and celebrating the rain. The stomping eventually led to a rhythmic dance movements and songs.

Instruments that accompany debka are the oud or lute (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oud), mijwiz or clarinet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mijwiz, tablah or hand drum 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabla, and daff or tambourine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daf.

In the majority of dance, the female dancers wear the traditional Palestinian costume. 
For additional information on the traditional Palestinian costume: http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/2014/12/palestinian-embroidery.html


Marcel Rabayy’a, a debka choreographer, describes debka as an expression of humanity and after viewing some debka dances in the links underneath the love and passion these dancers put into the art is clearly a hallmark of the dance.


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Videos of the debka being preformed at various Palestinians functions are included for easy access:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssTcNpaRTQE
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3HFmsdiuaw
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMoBcJ16Rfs
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-W7Kn_B1hs


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Boycott for Peace! 
https://www.facebook.com/boycott4peace

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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Boycott Caterpillar






Look for the ‘CAT’ and ‘Caterpillar’ logos whenever you shop. You will find them on items as small as writing pens and LED light sticks all the way up to huge mining and military equipment, as well as everything in between. Small items include shoes and other foot wear, clothing for infants to adults, watches, accessories from key chains to gear for your truck or car, knives, flashlights, activity books and card sets for kids, mugs and travel cups, you name it—this complicit corporation is profiting from it and taking your money to advertise its brand name. And of course there are CAT tools and tool boxes of all kinds and sizes, as well as farm, warehouse, construction, and demolition equipment. Keep your eye out for their logos and just say NO!

Ethnic cleansing and apartheid are great money making opportunities for Caterpillar. Opportunities that they refuse to turn their back on, even though doing business with countries that are breaching International Law is a crime all of its own. This crime is one that Caterpillar defends itself for continuing to commit and for which they truly deserve our boycott efforts. 

 For more information please see: 

And our new Cat boot boycott meme which has more documentation:

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Learn about human rights abuses in Palestine here:


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Check out our complete boycott list:

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Some images used in making the meme are from Wikimedia Commons.


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Boycott for Peace!

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Friday, December 19, 2014

Roots of Israel-Palestine Conflict




“For in Palestine we do not propose even to go through the form of consulting the wishes of the present inhabitants of the country…The four great powers are committed to Zionism, and Zionism, be it right or wrong, good or bad, is rooted in age-long traditions, in present needs, in future hopes, of far profounder import than the desires and prejudices of 700,000 Arabs who now inhabit that ancient land.”

From Balfour’s famous speech of 1919, quoted in the article titled, 'Christians and Zion: British Stirrings,' which traces the roots of British Christian Zionism back to the 6th century AD.  From there it follows up this development to modern times:  http://www.christianzionism.org/Article/Wagner06.asp 

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"The roots of the Israel-Palestine conflict date back to 1917, when the British government, in the now-infamous Balfour Declaration, called for "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people."

"Israel occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Zionist state – a move never recognized by the international community."

From the article titled, 'Israel detains eight Palestinians in East Jerusalem for Facebook posts,' which
also documents on-going unequal enforcement of standards and laws which discriminate
 against Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories:

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Boycott for Peace! 
 
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Thursday, December 18, 2014

Caterpillar: Corporate Complicity

Boycott Caterpillar for Complicity with the Occupation



Caterpillar, Inc's  own "Living by the Code" of  so called "integrity, excellence, teamwork, and commitment in order to make the world a better place to live" is seriously challenged by daily destruction of Palestinian agricultural land, Palestinian home demolitions and human deaths the Israeli military performs using Caterpillar  D-9 bulldozers in Palestine.

Middle East director of Human Rights Watch, Sarah Leah, believes Caterpillar betrays its stated values when it sells Israel bulldozers that in return illegally destroy Palestinian homes, agricultural land, uproot olive trees and demolish roads,  and destroy electricity and sewage lines. She states that Caterpillar is complicit in human rights abuses in Palestine because it pushes Palestinians into a cycle of poverty and dependency when it destroys their source of livelihood.

In 1967 B’Tselem recorded the entire neighborhood of Hawashin was leveled using Caterpillar’s D-9 bulldozers in Operation Defensive Shield. In 2004 John Dugard, a United Nations Special Rapporteur, witnessed D-9 bullbozers dig up 50% of roads in Gaza, and destroy 40 miles of water and sewage lines in Rafah. Overall, in the last four years 25000 homes in Gaza have been demolished using D-9 bulldozers

During the second Intifada in the 2000s Israeli military forces adapted a military strategy known as the pressure cooker. This strategy is used when a targeted Palestinian seeks refuge in a building and refuses to come out. In this situation, Israeli officials use Caterpillar’s D-9 to shake the building and then gradually peel off the wall until ultimately destroying the building and burying the victims underneath the rubble. This strategy is based on an extrajudicial system of execution where the targeted Palestinians are deemed criminals under the Israeli system of governance because all legitimate and lawful resistance to Israeli occupation is considered unlawful. Please see more here: http://www.bdsmovement.net/2014/how-israel-uses-caterpillar-machinery-to-carry-out-extrajudicial-executions-12475

In an ironic twist, Israel has begun a campaign against Caterpillar Inc., for supplying Iran with equipment. In the enclosed advertisement Israel has compared supplying Iran with material akin to assisting them in the construction of the Iranian nuclear program. The image of the billboard is here: http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/adri-nieuwhof/home-demolitions-beit-hanina-executed-volvo-and-hyundai-equipment

Rachel Corrie, a U.S. citizen and activist, is an example of the harm Caterpillar’s D-9 has on human life in Palestine. In an attempt to try to prevent Israeli officials from demolishing a Palestinian home Rachel had sand dumped over her and then run over by the D-9. The potential energy from this one life that has been cut short is clearly seen in this tribute to her: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rachel+corrie&FORM=VIRE2#view=detail&mid=B4C8C0018CF148807B43B4C8C0018CF148807B43
(Please see comments for up-dates on the Rachel Corrie case.)



 
In a response to Human Rights Watch letter Caterpillar, Inc., Caterpillar's CEO James Owen commented that the company “did not have the practical ability or legal right to determine how our products are used after they are sold.” This type of head-in-the sand approach by Caterpillar’s CEO ignores its own company’s Code of Worldwide Business Conduct on “it is doing well by doing good around the world” and “that their success should contribute to the quality of life and prosperity of the community. You can read a letter here: http://www.hrw.org/news/2004/11/21/israel-caterpillar-should-suspend-bulldozer-sales

In 2003 the United Nations passed the United Nations Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Regard to Human Rights. In this guideline the United Nations have set an obstacle for companies to engage or benefit from violations of human rights or humanitarian law.

In acknowledgement of this resolution,TIAA-CREF, a pension fund giant, has removed Caterpillar, Inc. from its portfolio. In the past shares were estimated at $72,943.861 and today it is an estimated 0. Friends Fiduciary divested $900,000 worth of shares in Caterpillar because they were uncomfortable defending the position of Caterpillar. Both companies have stepped up to their responsibilities to enhance the greater good of the community as a whole and obviously Caterpillar had yet to come to realize with their continued partnership with the Israeli military. The following article verifies that TIAA-CREF no longer sees the advantages in investing in the misery of other people: http://www.commondreams.org/news/2012/06/23/pension-giant-dumps-73-million-caterpillar-stock-over-israel-ties . Also see: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/21/presbyterians-israel-holdings-divestment/11207459/

The Presbyterian Church has taken it a step further by divesting from three companies that are profiting from Israeli policies in occupied Palestine. Boycotting from Motorola, Hewlett Packard and Caterpillar according to representatives from the Presbyterian Church will put pressure on the Israeli government to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/presbyterians-poised-for-_b_5489103.html

It is up to Earth’s citizens to drive the message to Caterpillar’s CEO James Owen that his company bears the responsibility of the terrible effects the D-9 bulldozers are creating in Palestine. Palestinians are being held hostage to a cycle of despair and hopelessness not due to any natural disaster but due to circumstance created by Israel politicians and their policies, and the companies that profit from them.

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The level of destruction Israel's Caterpillar D-9 bulldozers cause can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC6C-cAc240

More analysis on the disadvantages of using home demolitions as a form of collective punishment: http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/2014/11/collective-punishment.html

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Quick Action!  E-mail Caterpillar, Inc., at: BusinessPractice@cat.com and tell them what you think about their collaboration with the occupation.

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Boycott Caterpillar  Christmas Meme:

http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/2014/12/boycott-caterpillar.html

Walk Out On the Occupation Cat Boot Meme:
http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/2015/03/caterpillar-boycott.html

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Boycott for Peace!

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