Tomás Ó Flatharta

Gerry Carroll, a People Before Profit member of the Stormont Assembly in Belfast, raises very disturbing questions.

This is a Suzanne Breen Belfast Telegraph Report, April 18 2024

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll has slammed Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly for meeting a US engineering company which supplies the Israeli military with machinery to use in Gaza.

During their visit to Washington last month, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister met with Caterpillar, which provides its huge D9R armoured bulldozers to Israel.

The machines have a highly controversial history.

They were also used in the 2008-09 Gaza War, which left up to 1,400 people dead.

In 2003, American peace activist Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by a D9R as she tried to stop a bulldozer demolishing Palestinian homes in southern Gaza.

Mr Carroll lambasted Ms O’Neill and Ms Little-Pengelly for also meeting Israeli-founded cybersecurity firm Forescout, which has a contract with the US Department of Defense.

He said: “It is deplorable for the First and Deputy First Minister to meet these firms during Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

“Caterpillar is complicit in the Israeli occupation, enabling the illegal bulldozing of Palestinian homes. This is not reflective of Caterpillar workers, but of the horrific profiteering of Caterpillar bosses.

“Israeli-founded Forescout continues to do business with Israel’s chief military backer, and should never have been at that meeting.”