As Caterpillar completes its annual shareholders meeting several human right groups are raising consciousness about the human right abuses it supports.

At Issue are the bulldozers Caterpillar sells to the Israeli army. The D9 model, which is two stories high, comes with a blade that is 6 feet high and 15 feet wide as well as a “ripper” that is used to tear through Palestinian homes. The Israeli army takes it from there and adds armor plating, bullet-proof glass, machine gun mounts, and grenade launchers. These massive, armored bulldozers become weapons used by the Israeli army to destroy Palestinian lives and livelihoods. The D9 essentially becomes a 60-ton tank. In 2001, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz stated that “The D9 is a strategic weapon here.”

Video: Caterpillar Bulldozer - Israel/Palestine | Rare amateur footage of Cat bulldozers from the Gaza Strip

Additional Information: The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions | Stop CATerpillar | Corrie et al. v. Caterpillar | Demolition for Alleged Military Purposes | 4th Geneva Convention: Collective Punishments | Take Action to Hold Caterpillar Accountable | Take Action: Free Ezra Nawi | Bring your own voice to the 2009 CAT shareholder meeting! | Caterpillar under Fire for Human Rights Abuses for Sixth Year in a Row | Protesters boycott marketing of Caterpillar's D9 bulldozer | ICAHD-USA: build houses, build peace