Mr. John Harnish
President and CEO
The Harnish Group, Inc.
17025 W. Valley Hwy.
Tukwila, WA 98188
Dear Mr. Harnish,
A year ago on April 13, 2005, over one hundred people protested outside your Tukwila headquarters, drawing attention to Caterpillar's complicity with large-scale human rights violations in the Occupied Territories. A month prior to the demonstration, we attempted to meet with you, by contacting you through a certified letter and several phone calls. Our goal then and now is not to damage the business or reputation of the Harnish Group, but rather to enlist you in the growing campaign to convince Caterpillar to halt its sales to the Israeli military.
We would again like to meet with you to discuss this campaign at your earliest convenience. To set a meeting time, please contact Annamarie Murano at (360) 485-5745.
As the largest distributor of Caterpillar equipment in Washington, the Harnish Group is uniquely positioned to play an important role in ensuring that Caterpillar complies with international law concerning corporations and human rights. Caterpillar's equipment, most notably the D9 and D10 militarized bulldozers, is directly implicated in grave abuses of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army.
Since 1967, the Israeli army has used Caterpillar equipment to destroy over 12,000 houses in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, leaving tens of thousands of men, women and children homeless. Home demolitions are usually carried out without warning, often at night, and the occupants are forcibly evicted with no time to gather their belongings.
The Israeli army has continued bulldozing homes even when notified that residents were still inside the targeted homes. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in such instances. All these home demolitions and civilian deaths are illegal under international law, specifically violating the Hague Regulation of 1907 and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
On March 16, 2003, Rachel Corrie, a young woman from Olympia whom many of us knew, was killed by Israeli soldiers driving a Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer, while she was defending the home of a Palestinian family from demolition.
Since 2003, the United Nations has begun to develop standards for corporations in regards to human rights. The UN has stated that companies should not "engage in or benefit from" violations of international human rights or humanitarian law and that companies "shall further seek to ensure that the goods and services they provide will not be used to abuse human rights."
Spokespeople for Caterpillar have acknowledged that the company is aware of the Israeli army's use of Caterpillar equipment to destroy civilian homes, infrastructure and agricultural resources but Caterpillar has, nevertheless, refused either to condemn these practices or to take actions necessary to halt the sale or transfer of Caterpillar equipment to the Israeli army.
Caterpillar's own code of conduct requires it to consider the broad impact of its business. The company's Code of Worldwide Business Conduct states that "Caterpillar accepts the responsibilities of global citizenship." The company's commitment to financial success, the code says, "must also take into account social, economic, political and environmental priorities."
The campaign to ensure that Caterpillar complies with both international law and its own code of conduct will require a broad-based coalition of organizations, consumers and distributors. We must convince Caterpillar that it can be a successful company without its military sales, and in doing so can truly fulfill its obligations as a global citizen.
The campaign to stop sales of Caterpillar equipment to the Israeli military is supported by Amnesty International, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Presbyterian Church USA, the World Council of Churches, the Sisters of Mercy, Churches for Peace in the Middle East, Human Rights Watch, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, and literally hundreds of other national and international organizations.
We would appreciate the opportunity to further discuss the ways the Harnish Group can lend its voice to this important campaign and stand up for human rights. We look forward to a reply by Friday, June 10th.
Sincerely,
Olympia Caterpillar Campaign
Veterans for Peace Chapter 109, the Rachel Corrie Chapter
Amnesty International of Puget Sound
Olympia Amnesty International
The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice
The Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project
The Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace
The Green Party of South Puget Sound
The Northwest Middle East Peace Forum, Tacoma and Greater Pierce County
People for Peace, Justice, and Healing (Tacoma, WA)
Last updated: June 2, 2006