Armored bulldozers: a weapon of war

The caption to this photo reads: “Palestinians throw rocks at an Israeli army bulldozer during clashes in the northern West Bank village of Kufr Qaddum, near the Jewish settlement of Kdumim.” What matters, of course, is what the caption does not say: Palestinians are resisting continuing Israeli land grabs of their property on the West Bank. Kdumim is an illegal Zionist settlement whose only industry is farming on Palestinian property & a construction company which builds new settlements on confiscated Palestinian property. This armored bulldozer, mainly used by Israeli Defense Forces, is made by Caterpillar & paid for by the US government as part of its aid to Israel. Armored bulldozers serve many aggressive purposes in the ongoing land theft--in particular demolishing Palestinian homes. Their aggressive role has been criticized by human rights groups & was exposed in lawsuits filed by the parents of Rachel Corrie, an American solidarity activist mowed down & killed by one in 2003. (Photo by Nasser Ishtayeh/AP)