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[[Image:Rachelcorrie07.jpg|frame|300px|Rachel Corrie]] |
[[Image:Rachelcorrie07.jpg|frame|300px|Rachel Corrie]] |
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'''Rachel Corrie''' ([[April 10]], [[1979]] |
'''Rachel Corrie''' ([[April 10]], [[1979]] - [[March 16]], [[2003]]) was a peace activist who was run over and killed by an [[Israel]]i soldier operating an armored [[Caterpillar_D9#Israel|Caterpillar D9]] [[bulldozer]] while protesting Israeli demolitions of [[Palestinian]] homes in the [[Gaza Strip]]. |
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Corrie's death sparked controversy because she was a [[U.S.]] citizen and peace activist killed during a non-violent protest. Advocates on both sides scrambled to blame her death on the [[Israel Defense Force]] (IDF), the [[International Solidarity Movement]] (ISM), the Palestinians, and on Corrie herself. The U.S. government did not conduct or request an independent investigation, and Israel has cleared its soldiers of responsibility while refusing to release documents from the investigation. |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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Revision as of 05:08, 26 December 2004
Rachel Corrie (April 10, 1979 - March 16, 2003) was a peace activist who was run over and killed by an Israeli soldier operating an armored Caterpillar D9 bulldozer while protesting Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip.
Corrie's death sparked controversy because she was a U.S. citizen and peace activist killed during a non-violent protest. Advocates on both sides scrambled to blame her death on the Israel Defense Force (IDF), the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), the Palestinians, and on Corrie herself. The U.S. government did not conduct or request an independent investigation, and Israel has cleared its soldiers of responsibility while refusing to release documents from the investigation.
Background
Raised in Olympia, Washington, Rachel was the daughter of Craig Corrie, an insurance executive, and Cindy Corrie, a school volunteer and flutist. After graduating from Capitol High School, she went on to The Evergreen State College, where she studied the arts and international relations. During college years, Corrie joined the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace and participated in various peace and environmental activities. In her senior year, Corrie joined the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and took a leave of absence to initiate a sister city project between Olympia and Rafah and participate in ISM-organized peaceful demonstrations against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Activities in Gaza
On January 18, 2003, Corrie travelled to the Gaza Strip, where she attended two days of training in non-violent resistance before joining other ISM activists in direct-action protests. Through February and March, according to ISM activists and e-mails Corrie sent to her family, she participated in a variety of actions, including protesting Israeli army demolitions of Palestinian homes by acting as a human shield; placing herself between Palestinian civilians and Israeli troops; protecting Palestinian wells from the Israeli army; criticizing the Bush administration for alleged complicity in the conflict; and demonstrating against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where she burned a paper-drawn U.S. flag, but refused to burn an Israeli flag, stating that as a U.S. citizen she could only bear responsibility for U.S. actions.
Corrie stated that she also served as a "human rights observer" of the actions of Israeli troops in the area. She documented the destruction of 25 greenhouses and the digging up of the road to Gaza City by the Israeli army. She also documented that Israeli soldiers fired shots at workers with the Rafah Municipal Water Authority who were attempting to rebuild the Canada and El Iskan wells, which she said were bulldozed by the Israeli military on January 30.
During her stay, she communicated by e-mail with "Danny," a reserve first sergeant in the Israeli army, who wrote to her: "You are doing a good thing. I thank you for it," and asked Corrie to "document as much as you can and do not embellish anything with creative writing." She also wrote about the smuggling tunnels in Gaza in her report: "Events Surrounding the Deaths of 2 Men in Tunnels beneath the Block O area". [1]
In emails to her family Corrie described what she witnessed and expressed her frustration over it. On March 14, in an interview with Middle East Broadcasting, Corrie said: "I feel like I'm witnessing the systematic destruction of a people's ability to survive. It's horrifying. It takes a while to get what's happening here. People here are trying to maintain their lives, trying to be happy. Sometimes I sit down to dinner with people and I realize there is a massive military machine surrounding us, trying to kill the people I'm having dinner with." [2]
Corrie met and spoke with local Palestinians and spent several days and nights with Palestinian families in Rafah. In e-mails to her mother, she mentioned watching the cartoon Gummi Bears dubbed in Arabic and helping a Palestinian boy with his English homework. She was also involved in a children's pen pal program between the Gaza Strip and the U.S.
Corrie's death
The Israeli military frequently uses armored bulldozers to destroy buildings and farmland in Rafah, along the road near the border with Egypt, claiming that the demolitions are intended to uncover explosive devices and destroy smuggling tunnels. Critics consider these activities to be a form of collective punishment in violation of international law, while proponents see them as a legitimate measure of self-defense.
On March 16, 2003, Corrie was in a group of seven ISM activists (three British and four Americans) attempting to disrupt what they thought were house demolitions in Rafah. The IDF later said it was not intending to demolish houses but was clearing debris and shrubbery to expose explosive devices.
The following is a description according to Joseph Smith, an ISM activist from Kansas City, Missouri. These are Smith's own words. [3]
- "[Between 13:00 and 13:30, activists] noticed that two Israeli Army bulldozers and one tank [had] entered onto Palestinian civilian property near the border and [were] demolishing farmland and other already damaged structures. The military machine was severely threatening near-by homes, so the 3 activists went up onto the roof of one home, and then called for others to come.
- "[Between 13:30 and 14:00], I arrived, and one of the three activists in [sic] the house joined me on the ground . . . [W]e began to disrupt the work of the bulldozers . . . At this point, Rachel and the two other activists joined us . . . Rachel and a British activist were wearing jackets that were fluorescent orange and had reflective stripping [sic] . . . [Between 14:00 and 15:00], Rachel and two other activists began interfering with the other bulldozer, which was attempting to destroy grass and other plants on what used to be farmland. They stood and sat in its path, and though it would drive very close to them, and even move the earth on which they were sitting, it always stopped in time to avoid injuring them . . . [Between 15:00 and 16:00], one bulldozer pushed Will, an American activist, up against a pile of barbed wire. Fortunately, the bulldozer stopped and withdrew just in time to avoid injuring him seriously, but we had to dig him out of the rubble, and unhook his clothing from the wire. The tank approached to see if he was ok. One soldier stuck his head out of the tank to see, and he looked quite shocked and dumbfounded, but said nothing . . .
- "[Between 16:00 and 16:45], [t]he bulldozer drivers began waving at us, making faces, laughing, and shouting what sounded like lewd comments. One even removed his helmet and posed for a picture, which unfortunately didn't turn out.
- "[Between 16:45 and 17:00], [o]ne bulldozer, serial number 949623, began to work near the house of a physician who is a friend of ours . . . Rachel sat down in the pathway of the bulldozer . . . [It] continued driving forward headed straight for Rachel. When it got so close that it was moving the earth beneath her, she climbed onto the pile of rubble being pushed by the bulldozer. She got so high onto it that she was at eye-level with the cab of the bulldozer. . . .
- "Despite this, he continued forward, which pulled her legs into the pile of rubble, and pulled her down out of view of the driver . . . We ran towards him, and waved our arms and shouted, one activist with the megaphone. But [he] continued forward, until Rachel was underneath the central section of the bulldozer . . . Despite the obviousness of her position, the bulldozer began to reverse, without lifting its blade, and drug [sic] the blade over her body again. He continued to reverse until he was on the boarder [sic] strip, about 100 meters away, and left her crushed body in the sand. Three activists ran to her and began administering first-responder medical treatment . . . She said, "My back is broken!" but nothing else . . .
- "[Between 17:00 and 17:15], the ambulance arrived . . . She was still breathing [when the paramedics carried her to the ambulance] and her eyes were open, but she was clearly in a great deal of pain . . . She was brought directly to the emergency room, and was in there when I arrived in a taxi. [At 17.20], she was pronounced dead and was wheeled out of the emergency room . . ."
Others dispute this account and claim that ISM's version is full of contradictions and misinformation. [4] A major point of dispute is Rachel's interaction with the bulldozer and what really caused her death — a stroke from the blade or falling debris, or whether she was crushed under the bulldozer tracks and blade. Even eyewitness accounts various ISM members and Palestinian witnesses, disagree on these points. For example, the cannot agree won whether Corrie was standing, sitting, kneeling, or lying in the path of the bulldozer. Though Joseph Smith "She sat down in front of it...", Tom Dale of ISM stated "Rachel knelt down in its way," Greg Schnabel of ISM stated "Rachel was standing in front of this home," Richard Purssell of ISM stated "Rachel stood to confront the bulldozer..." while Ali Al-Shaar (a Palestinian) stated "The American girl was lying in front of the bulldozer..." Similar contradictions surround the question of whether she actively climbed onto the debris, or whether the debris was pushed onto her. While Joseph Smith stated "[He] continued to drive until she was forced onto the top of the dirt he was pushing," Tom Dale stated "The bulldozer reached her and she began to stand up, climbing onto the mound of earth," Greg Schnabel stated "The bulldozer began to push up the ground from beneath her feet," Richard Purssell stated "Rachel climbed up the pile and at the one stage was looking into the cabin window," and Ali Al-Shaar stated "...the bulldozer took sand and put it over her." As well, how she ended up getting trapped is also the subject of contradictory accounts. For example, Richard Purssell stated "She began to slide down the pile, however as soon as her feet touched the ground for some reason she fell forward. Maybe her foot was caught or the weight of the soil pushed her forward." Other points, such as Smith's claim that they heard the bulldozer driver shouting at them (Smith, section 16:00-16:45), are said to lack of credibility, since heavy bulldozers are very noisy and operators are protected by thick glass and armor.
Responsibility for Corrie's death
Several eyewitnesses charged that the bulldozer operator crushed Corrie deliberately and called her death "a war crime." The Israeli military states that the killing was an accident. The bulldozers had been in the area for two hours and were aware of the protesters and their activities, according to fellow ISM activists. The bulldozer drivers had seen Corrie, say the activists, and had stopped in front of her several times that day. Witness statements indicate that Corrie should have been visible to the drivers while she was standing on top of the pile of rubble, as she was wearing a bright red reflective jacket. However, it is known that Caterpillar D9 bulldozers have a restricted field of vision with several blind spots, and Israeli army regulations normally require that other soldiers assist in directing bulldozer drivers.
The Israeli army commander of the Gaza Strip said in an interview broadcast on Israeli television that, on the day of Corrie's death, soldiers had to stay in their armored vehicles and were not able to direct the bulldozer, or arrest the protesters, because of a potential threat from Palestinian snipers. He also said that Israeli soldiers may have been handling other ISM activists instead of watching over the bulldozer. Critics point out that soldiers had intervened that day to disperse the activists and that the four ISM activists in the vicinity were not being "handled" by soldiers at the time of the incident.
The Israeli government promised a "thorough, credible, and transparent investigation." An initial autopsy was performed at the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv. The Olympian reported that the autopsy report of March 20 concluded that Corrie's death was "caused by pressure on the chest from a mechanical apparatus."
The Jerusalem Post, quoting an Israeli military spokesman, reported that Corrie had not been run over. "An autopsy found that the cause of Corrie's death was falling debris," the Post reported. The miltiary spokesman said: "The driver at no point saw or heard Corrie. She was standing behind debris which obstructed the view of the driver and the driver had a very limited field of vision due to the protective cage he was working in," (June 26, 2003).
The Israeli army's investigation, led by the chief of the general staff of the IDF found that Israeli forces were not guilty of any misconduct, (Guardian, April 14, 2003). [5] The army's report, which was seen by the Guardian, says that Corrie was: "struck as she stood behind a mound of earth that was created by an engineering vehicle operating in the area and she was hidden from the view of the vehicle's operator who continued with his work. Corrie was struck by dirt and a slab of concrete resulting in her death." The report continues: "The finding of the operational investigations shows that Rachel Corrie was not run over by an engineering vehicle but rather was struck by a hard object, most probably a slab of concrete which was moved or slid down while the mound of earth which she was standing behind was moved."
The report also states that the army had not, in fact, intended to demolish a house, but was patrolling what the report calls "no man's land" near the border zone, searching for explosives.
A spokesman for the IDF told the Guardian that, while it did not accept responsibility for Corrie's death, it intended to change its operational procedures to avoid similar incidents in the future. The level of command of similar operations would be raised, said the spokesman, and civilians in the area would be dispersed or arrested before operations began. Observers will be deployed and CCTV cameras will be installed on the bulldozers to compensate for blindspots, which may have contributed to Corrie's death.
The Israeli military did not release copies of their investigation and only two American embassy staffers were allowed to read selected parts. [6] Commenting on the report, Richard LeBaron, the U.S. deputy chief of mission in Tel Aviv, said that "there are several inconsistencies worthy of note." [7]
The ISM rejected the Israeli report stating it was contrary to eyewitness reports. Tom Wallace, an ISM spokesman, said that the Israel's investigation had been far from credible and transparent. [8]
On March 25, 2003, U.S. Representative Brian Baird introduced bill "H.R. 111" in the U.S. Congress calling on the U.S. government to "undertake a full, fair, and expeditious investigation into the death of Rachel Corrie." [9] The bill, however, has languished there and has little chance of being passed. [10] The Corrie family continues to call for a U.S. investigation. [11]
Reactions to Corrie's death
Capt. Jacob Dallal, a spokesman for the Israeli army, called Corrie's death a "regrettable accident" and said that Corrie and the other ISM activists were "a group of protesters who were acting very irresponsibly, putting everyone in danger — the Palestinians, themselves and our forces — by intentionally placing themselves in a combat zone."
On March 17, Amnesty International USA condemned the death and called for an independent inquiry. Christine Bustany, their advocacy director for the Middle East, said that "U.S.-made bulldozers have been 'weaponized' and their transfer to Israel must be suspended."
Corrie's death has been condemned as the "murder" of a U.S. civilian by many of Corrie's supporters, who have contrasted U.S. government silence over the death to condemnation of the killing of three U.S. diplomats, allegedly by The Popular Resistance Committees, a Palestinian militant faction, in 2003. Her photograph continues to be used in protests against Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank. On March 18, there was a memorial service at the place where Corrie died, attended by between 40 and 100 people. The service was interrupted by an Israeli APC which fired tear gas and concussion grenades.
On April 25, 15 people, including British citizens Asif Hanif and Omar Khan Sharif, met at an ISM apartment in Rafah, Gaza before proceeding to the site of Corrie's death, where they placed a flower. Five days later, Hanif and Sharif carried out a suicide bombing of Mike's Place, a restaurant in Tel Aviv, killing three civilians. [12] The Israeli government imposed new restrictions on ISM activities based on the presence of the bombers at Corrie's memorial site.
In Rafah and elsewhere in the Palestinian territories, posters of Corrie were plastered to walls, with accompanying slogans such as "Rachel did not die. She lives in our hearts." She is one of the few non-Arabs to be treated in this way. A Palestinian couple, Salah and Rania Noureddine, have named their newborn child Rachel Corrie, saying that their daughter would be "a symbol for [them] and all honest people in the Arab world." On 15 July 2003, the Chicago Tribune reported that "to the people of Rafah, Rachel Corrie will always remain a very special martyr, their American martyr."
External links and references
Israeli reports
- Israeli report clears troops over US death - from UK's The Guardian
- Accounts of Corrie's death still conflict - from The Olympian, June 14, 2003
Commentary and link lists
- Rachel Corrie Memorial Website - list of links to opinions, articles, etc - one of a few such sites.
- Rachel Corrie and ISM Links - from landofisrael.info
- Statements and Eyewitness Reports - list of links from an "In memoriam" site.
- No Cameras weblog - An Olympia resident writes about Corrie's death: [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18]
- "The death of Rachel Corrie: martyr, idiot, dedicated, deluded. Why did this American college student crushed by an Israeli bulldozer put her life on the line? And did it matter?" (in-depth commentary by Joshua Hammer)
- Statement from eyewitness, Joseph Smith, an ISM activist