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Does Caterpillar Inc. support Israel?

Support documentedupdated 2026-07-21

Yes — Caterpillar Inc. has documented support for Israel on record. Every claim below links to its source.

Filed under: Car & automotive brands · Companies that support Israel

Background

Caterpillar is one of the most prominent and best-documented cases in the boycott debate, and a named corporate divestment target of the BDS movement. The key distinction: Caterpillar's civilian equipment is sold commercially in Israel through an independent authorized dealer (Zoko Enterprises/ITE), while the military-spec D9 bulldozers reach the Israeli army as defense articles through the U.S. government's Foreign Military Sales program, largely paid for with U.S. military aid, and are armored in Israel. On March 16, 2003, American activist Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an armored D9 in Rafah while trying to block a home demolition; her family's lawsuit, Corrie v. Caterpillar, was dismissed by U.S. courts — the Ninth Circuit affirmed in September 2007 under the political question doctrine, expressly without ruling on whether Caterpillar aided abuses. Human Rights Watch asked Caterpillar to suspend military bulldozer sales in 2004; the company declined, saying it cannot control how products are used after sale. The controversy has driven institutional action: MSCI dropped Caterpillar from its ESG indices in 2012, citing in part the use of its equipment in the Palestinian territories (prompting TIAA-CREF to sell $72 million in shares); the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted 310-303 in June 2014 to divest about $21 million from Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions; and Norway's largest pension fund, KLP, divested its $69 million stake in June 2024 over the equipment's use in Gaza and the West Bank.

Center for Constitutional Rights — Corrie v. Caterpillar BDS Movement — economic boycott targets Times of Israel (MSCI delisting) Religion News Service (PCUSA divestment vote) Al Jazeera (KLP divestment)

Timeline of documented support

200420072010201320162019202220252004-11 — Government contract: Israeli military (via U.S. government Foreign Military Sales)Government contract2004-112004-11 — Public statement: Human Rights Watch (response to call to suspend Israel sales)Public statement2004-112023-10 — Operations in Israel: Israeli military D9 fleet (service and armoring in Israel)Operations in Israel2023-102025-02 — Government contract: Government of Israel — D9R/D9T bulldozers (via U.S. Foreign Military Sales)Government contract2025-02

Documented support

TypeDateAmountRecipientSources
Government contract2004-11—Israeli military (via U.S. government Foreign Military Sales)
Caterpillar manufactures the D9 bulldozer to military specifications and it is sold to Israel as a defense article through the U.S. government's Foreign Military Sales program — a government-to-government channel largely funded by U.S. military aid — not as a direct Caterpillar-to-Israel commercial sale. The Israeli military has operated Caterpillar D9s since the 1950s (Sinai 1956, 1967, 1973, Lebanon 1982); the machines are armored in Israel by the IDF together with state-owned Israel Military Industries and Israel Aerospace Industries. Human Rights Watch documented the sales mechanism in November 2004 when it called on Caterpillar to suspend D9 sales, parts and service to the Israeli military over home demolitions carried out with the machines; the sales continued.
Public statement2004-11—Human Rights Watch (response to call to suspend Israel sales)
Responding to Human Rights Watch's October 2004 letter asking Caterpillar to suspend D9 bulldozer sales to the Israeli military, then-CEO James Owens declined, writing on November 12, 2004 that the company did "not have the practical ability or legal right to determine how our products are used after they are sold." This has remained Caterpillar's standing position: military D9 sales run through the U.S. government, and the company says it cannot police end use. The company has never suspended the sales.
Operations in Israel2023-10—Israeli military D9 fleet (service and armoring in Israel)
Roughly 100 armored Caterpillar D9 bulldozers were deployed in the opening stage of Israel's ground operation in Gaza after October 7, 2023, and Israel moved to procure about 100 more in urgent requests in November 2023 and January 2024. In Israel the machines are imported, retrofitted and serviced by Caterpillar's authorized dealer network — Zoko Enterprises and its Israel Tractors & Equipment (ITE) unit, an independent Israeli dealer, not a Caterpillar subsidiary — which upgrades commercial-market D9s for IDF use and maintains them, including under a 2009 agreement giving Zoko maintenance staff reservist status during combat. Caterpillar's role is as manufacturer and franchisor of the dealership; the armoring and battlefield servicing are done by the Israeli dealer and Israeli state-owned industry.
Government contract2025-02-28$295,000,000Government of Israel — D9R/D9T bulldozers (via U.S. Foreign Military Sales)
The U.S. State Department approved a Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Israel of Caterpillar D9R and D9T bulldozers, spare parts and support, at an estimated cost of $295 million, with Caterpillar Inc. (Irving, Texas) as principal contractor and deliveries expected from 2027. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on February 28, 2025 using expedited emergency procedures that bypassed the standard congressional review period. Separately, a shipment of 134 D9s ordered during the Gaza war — held up under the Biden administration — was released, with dozens delivered in July 2025.

Frequently asked questions

Did Caterpillar Inc. donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

We have no records of cash donations, but Caterpillar Inc. has documented support of other kinds (Government contract, Public statement, Operations in Israel). See the records on this page.

Where does this information come from?

Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 13 distinct sources are cited for Caterpillar Inc.. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2026-07-21

Companies with documented support