Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT)
The U.S.-based multinational, Caterpillar, is a long-standing supplier of the Israeli military and provides it with a variety of heavy engineering machinery for military use, including the D9 bulldozer.
Caterpillar machinery has been widely used for house demolition, settlement construction, and the construction of the Separation Wall in the occupied West Bank. Armored D9 bulldozers are used by the Israeli military to accompany military forces during invasions and military arrests in the occupied West Bank.
The D9 bulldozers have been adapted to the military’s needs and some are currently undergoing adaptation to enable autonomous operations without the need for a driver.
Caterpillar machinery and the D9 armored bulldozers have been extensively used in previous Israeli attacks on Gaza in 2021, 2014, 2008, and 2009, for large-scale house demolitions, land-clearing missions, and the construction of the wall surrounding the besieged Gaza.
The Caterpillar D9 is also used in the Israeli military’s so-called “Pressure Cooker” procedure, which is used to pressure a wanted person who fortifies in a house or other structure, to come out. In such cases, the D9 is used to demolish the structure with the person still inside. This procedure has been used against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
Since October 7, the Combat Engineering Corps has carried out an extensive recruitment of D9 bulldozer drivers to take part in the invasion of Gaza. D9 bulldozers have been documented in the streets of Gaza causing massive destruction to roads, buildings, private property, and infrastructure.
In November 2023, the IMOD initiated an urgent procurement of dozens of D9 heavy bulldozers. Some of these D9 bulldozers are currently undergoing adaptation processes for autonomous or semi-autonomous operations, allowing the bulldozers to operate without the need for a driver
Been long since 270, think we could see 500 with the D9s!
LONG CAT
