We call on our friends, as individuals and as organizations, to mark the week of the Corrie trial verdict with the following actions in support of all whose rights have been violated by the Israeli Government:
(See the full Call to Action for history and goals leading up to this call. Click here for Palestine/Israel, US, and International specific information.)
For those in Palestine/Israel:
We are inspired by the incredible work Israeli and Palestinian activists do to challenge home demolitions and confiscations. We encourage any actions organized the week of the verdict to include Rachel’s memory and spirit. You can include Rachel’s image by printing this poster of her in front of a bulldozer in Rafah, Gaza Strip. Register your planned action here so we can post it to our website. Send photos or videos of your action to [email protected]. For information about further actions planned, contact Jen at [email protected].
For those in the U.S.:
We in the U.S. can impact home demolitions by removing support from companies that profit from Israel’s occupation and home demolition policies. The We Divest campaign to pressure investment firm TIAA-CREF to divest from such companies is a promising effort to end U.S. complicity in the occupation. Caterpillar Inc. is one of these companies. It profits from destruction wreaked upon Palestinian families, farms, and their economy using CAT equipment. Rachel was killed beneath a Caterpillar D9 weaponized bulldozer as she tried to protect the home of a Palestinian family. While TIAA-CREF recently removed CAT in its Social Choice accounts, it still holds over a billion dollars of CAT stock.
Please take the following actions:
- From Sunday, August 26th until Sunday, September 2nd, deliver a letter to TIAA-CREF offices, and remember Rachel as you do. Combine this with a larger event, or designate a few people to deliver the letter. Register your planned action here so we can post it on our website. Download a copy of our sample TIAA-Cref letter and we will e-mail you a poster of a Palestinian family impacted by demolitions using CAT equipment. Our goal is to deliver letters to half of the 60 TIAA-CREF offices. Can you help us exceed our goal? With photos and videos from your actions we will launch a nationwide social media campaign with images that show the level of support for TIAA-CREF divestment.
- Print this image of Rachel. Photograph yourself with it, and post it on our new Tumblr blog. Deliver the photo to the nearest Israeli Consulate demanding accountability and an end to home demolitions. We will gather images worldwide and also send them to the U.S. Department of State.
- Take part in a live conference call with the Corrie family, Wednesday, August 29th, 6:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time/ 9:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. To participate in the call, RSVP to [email protected]. Host a house party or community gathering for those who want to join the call.
- Sign this petition in support of the campaign to pressure TIAA-CREF to divest.
For those in other parts of the world:
We encourage you to use your creativity to take a stand against home demolitions. Register your planned action here so we can post it on our website. Please send photos and videos of your action to [email protected].
We invite all our friends and allies to share reflections on Rachel’s stand on twitter with the hashtag #RememberRachel.
Together, we can seize the moment. We can tell Rachel’s story. Most of all, we can cry out with Rachel’s message of equality and human rights and for her call to end home demolitions and the Israeli occupation!
