These are the bulldozer & crane companies that were most complicit in Israeli war crimes in 2021

For the fourth year in a row, we have collated statistics from every demolition/confiscation of structures, destruction of water systems, or razing of land that Israel has carried out in both the West Bank and within Israel’s borders.

We have searched for photographic or video evidence of which company’s equipment (for example JCB or Caterpillar) was used in each incident in 2021. The below table shows a breakdown of the top seven bulldozers and cranes that carried out the most demolitions or confiscations of homes and other structures.  Our results also show the absolute minimum number of people that each company displaced or affected in 2021.  (Scroll left to right if viewing the table on a mobile phone or tablet). 

 

 

	Total structures demolished/confiscated	Total homes demolished/confiscated	Total displaced	Of the total displaced, how many were children?	TOTAL AFFECTED & DISPLACED	OF THE TOTAL AFFECTED & DISPLACED, HOW MANY WERE CHILDREN?
JCB (UK)	214	87	330	170	2,333	961
Volvo (Sweden)	151	41	88	44	3,196	1,096
Hyundai (S. Korea)	113	73	178	72	3,488	1,499
Liu Gong (China)	24	8	52	24	648	74
Caterpillar (US)	46	16	66	46	2,585	1,307
Fassi (Italy)	243	89	314	183	569	320
Effer (Italy)	149	38	171	96	868	409

SUMMARY:

The top three bulldozers/cranes used to demolish or confiscate structures:

1. Fassi (crane)
2. JCB
3. Volvo

The top three bulldozers or cranes used to demolish or confiscate homes:

1. Fassi (crane)
2. JCB
3. Hyundai

The top three bulldozers or cranes that displaced the most people:

1. JCB
2. Fassi (crane)
3. Hyundai

The top three bulldozers or cranes that displaced the most children:

1. Fassi (crane)
2. JCB
3. Effer (crane)

The top three bulldozers or cranes that affected or displaced the most people:

1. Hyundai
2. Volvo
3. Caterpillar

The top three bulldozers or cranes that affected or displaced the most children:

1. Hyundai
2. Caterpillar
3. Volvo

How we compiled our data

We compiled our data by partnering with Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and using its monthly Demolition & Displacement Reports. We painstakingly searched the internet for photo/video evidence of which bulldozer or crane was used for each demolition/confiscation/razing of land/chopping down of trees.

For at least half of demolitions, we could not be 100% sure of the bulldozer used, and therefore these demolitions are not included in our final figures. This is because many news agencies and social media users upload stock photos or random photos of demolitions when reporting on a specific incident. If we were uncertain whether a photo was a stock photo, we did not include it in our results.

We used ICAHD’s statistics to record the number of people displaced/affected in each incident, and then added them up to make a total. If ICAHD didn’t record the number of people displaced or affected in an incident, we conservatively counted just one person as being affected.

We also recorded incidents that were not on ICAHD’s list, such as the razing of people’s land, the blocking of a road, and the destruction of trees. If there was no reliable figure for the number of people affected, we conservatively estimated one person, even for a road closure that would affect whole villages. The real number of people affected by each company’s equipment is, in reality, much higher.

You can view our spreadsheet breakdown of every single incident here. You can view our month-by-month summary here.

Featured image: Demolition in the South Hebron Hills, 11 August 2021. Video by BT’selem.