War on Want

High street names such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Connex and Caterpillar are implicated in Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinian people, according to a new report on corporate complicity in the Occupation of Palestine from campaigns group War on Want. The report, Profiting from the Occupation, details the extent of the humanitarian crisis currently facing Palestinians as a result of Israel’s intensified operations against them, and examines the role which companies have played in supporting the Occupation. Corporations such as Connex, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Caterpillar, Volvo, and Daewoo are involved in business practices that help to sustain occupation.

Roger Waters founding member, with Syd Barrett, of the super group Pink Floyd visited the West Bank city of Bethlehem on June 21, 2006. He called for an end to the on-going Israeli Occupation. Waters moved Thursday’s concert from Hayarkon Park outside Tel Aviv after discussions with Palestinian artists, as well as Israeli refuseniks, who called on him to use the gig as a platform to build solidarity with those fighting the injustices of Israeli foreign policy.

Anti-poverty campaign group War on Want today expressed shock and £2.2 million investment from the construction firm Caterpillar. The Church’s Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG) has been examining whether its investments in Caterpillar are consistent with the Church’s ethical investment policy, which prohibits investment in arms companies. The EIAG has now rejected calls for divestment, even though Caterpillar has refused to rule out future sales of its products to the Israeli army.

The Church of England should follow the recommendation of the Anglican Consultative Council and vote to divest from companies supporting Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine during its General Synod this weekend, campaigners will say at a fringe meeting at York University on Friday (8 July). The Church of England’s Ethical Investment Advisory Group has been examining whether the £2 million of shares currently held in Caterpillar are consistent with the Church’s ethical investment policy, which prohibits investment in arms companies or companies making ‘weapons platforms’ such as naval vessels or tanks.

One year after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that Israel’s Separation Wall is illegal, the EU and UK have failed to take the action required of them under the Geneva Conventions to ensure Israeli compliance with international humanitarian law. Lawyers acting for campaigns group War on Want will today (Monday 18 July) send letters to President Jose Manuel Barroso of the European Commission and UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw challenging them to provide evidence of any action they have taken to curtail human rights abuses against Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation.

Cindy Corrie joined War on Want and Caterkiller activists today in delivering a simple message to John Lewis Department Store: stop selling Caterpillar products, until Caterpillar stops selling bulldozer’s to the Israeli Army. Cindy’s daughter, Rachel Corrie, was killed by a Caterpillar bulldozer while protesting against house demolitions in Occupied Palestine 2 years ago. War on Want Campaigns Officer Nick Dearden said “Caterpillar’s Chief Executive is fully aware of the uses his bulldozer’s are put to, yet he still claims that his company is ‘doing well by doing good around the world’. We think that Britain’s consumers have a right to know about the real Caterpillar…”