American woman peace activist killed by IDFbulldozer in Gaza

Ha'aretz ^ | Sunday, March 16, 2003 Adar2 12, 5763 | By Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondent, and Agencies

[Cinnamon Girl]

An American woman peace protester was killed Sunday by an IDF bulldozer, which ran her over during the demolition of a house at the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip.

Another activist was wounded in the incident.

Rachel Corey, 23, from Olympia, Washington, was killed when she ran in front of the bulldozer to try to prevent it from destroying a house, doctors in Gaza said.

"Corey was killed in the al-Salam neighbourhood when an Israeli bulldozer covered her with sand as she stood in front of a bulldozer," said Dr Ali Musa, a doctor from the al-Najar hospital in the southern Gaza Strip.

He said she died from skull and chest fractures.

The IDF said it was checking the report.

Greg Schnabel, 28, from Chicago, said the protesters were in the house of Dr. Samir Masri.

"Rachel was alone in front of the house as we were trying to get them to stop," he said. "She waved for bulldozer to stop and waved. She fell down and the bulldozer kept going. We yelled 'stop, stop,' and the bulldozer didn't stop at all. It had completely run over her and then it reversed and ran back over her."

Since the start of the Intifada, groups of international protesters have gathered in several locations in territories, setting themselves up as "human shields" to try to stop IDF operations.

Corey was the first member of the groups, called "International Solidarity Movement," to be killed in the conflict. Schnabel said Corey was a student at Evergreen College and was to graduate this year.

He said there were eight protesters at the site, four from the United States and four from Great Britain. "We stay with families whose house is to be demolished," he told the Associated Press by telephone from Rafah after the incident.

[kcvl]

Another Rachael Corey

[Fabozz]

"Had a Palestinian--an adult, not a child or teen egged on by an adult--stood in front of the bulldozer and died, your comparison to the Tianamen Square incident might be appropriate. As it is, it is misplaced."

"Misplaced"? Try "morally bankrupt." The students massacred in Tiananmen Square were peaceful protestors. They didn't blow up school buses or pizza parlors, they didn't hide inside buildings and kill people with sniper rifles, they didn't march through the streets with automatic weapons—hell, they didn't even throw rocks. All they did was sit down and engage in a hunger strike. That was the sum total of their offense to the peace, the one simple act that caused the Chinese government to kill some five thousand of them.

It's one thing to believe the Palestinian people have a legitimate grievance against Israel—that's merely mistaken, not abhorrent. It's quite another, though, to see no moral distinction between people on a hunger strike and people ripping schoolchildren apart with rat-poison-coated nails.

[kcvl]

Ando-Yoto - information from Rachel Corey about the library she started in Ando-Yoto and the organizations that helped her. She returned from Togo in August, 1996.

[medscribe]

Oops! Sorry!

BTW, can we give the driver of that bulldozer a commendation or medal of some kind? He just did the human gene pool a big favor by removing a defect.

[kcvl]

16 Mar 2003 16:36
Israeli army bulldozer kills U.S. woman - sources

---

(Adds witnesses, details)

GAZA, March 16 (Reuters) - An Israeli military bulldozer killed an American woman protesting the demolition of a house in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, Palestinian medical officials and witnesses said.

The woman, identified as 23-year-old Rachel Corey, was lying on the ground in front of an army bulldozer when she was covered with large quantities of sand, Ali al-Shaar, a witness to the incident, told Reuters.

"The American girl was lying in front of the bulldozer when the bulldozer took sand and put it over her," Shaar told Reuters.

Corey was taken to the al-Najar hospital in the southern Gaza Strip where doctors said she died from severe skull and chest fractures.

The Israeli army said it was checking the report.

"The bulldozer put sand on her and kept crushing her," said Nicholas Dure, a fellow member of the International Solidarity Campaign to Protect the Palestinian People protest group.

Israeli forces regularly destroy buildings in Gaza's Rafah neighbourhood along the border with Egypt, which they say are used by Palestinian gunmen to fire on Israeli troops patrolling the border, or hide tunnels used to smuggle weapons from Egypt.

A group of foreign volunteers have been operating in southern Gaza for months, trying to prevent the army from demolishing buildings, often by blocking bulldozers with their bodies.

[csvset]

The "human shield" in happier times.

[Hugin]

I am ashamed of the predominate "flavor" of FreeRepublic.

You're free to leave. You won't be missed.

[tomahawk]

She was a shield for terrorists who murder men, women, and children.

[kcvl]

Witnesses said she was wearing a brightly-coloured jacket when she was run over.
Schnabel said Corrie was a student at Evergreen College and was to graduate this year.

The International Solidarity Movement is backed by Palestinian groups.

[PA Engineer]

I'm amazed at the lack of humanity that some people display on FR.

She chose to take sides with a terrorist civilization intent on genocide. Her motivations were anything but pure and her hatred of decency and freedom were evident by her actions.

I have no tears for my enemy when they have taken up sides against me. I am however confused as to why you are so full of "humanity" for an adult who was very aware of her less than noble actions?

My humanity lies with the victims of these terrorists and not the promoters you are so compassionate for.

[Hank Rearden]

I've said it before, I'll say it again: Never bring a naif to a bulldozer fight.

[kcvl]

Groups of international protesters have gathered in several locations in the West Bank and Gaza during two years of Palestinian violence, setting themselves up as "human shields" to try to stop Israeli operations there.

Corrie was the first member of the groups, called "International Solidarity Movement," to be killed in the conflict.

Schnabel said there were eight protesters at the site, four from the United States and four from Great Britain. "We stay with families whose house is to be demolished," he told the Associated Press by telephone from Rafah after the incident.

Schnabel said Corrie was a student at The Evergreen State College, in Olympia, Evergreen College and was to graduate this year.

[kcvl]

Corrie was the first member of the groups, called "International Solidarity Movement" and backed by Palestinian groups, to be killed in the conflict. Several activists have been arrested in clashes with Israeli forces, and some have been deported by Israeli authorities.

Mansour Abed Allah, 29, a Palestinian human rights worker in Rafah, witnessed the incident.


He said the killing should be a message to the US President George W Bush, who is "providing Israel with tanks and bulldozers, and now they have killed one of his own people."

[Duramaximus]

While the loss of life is tragic, the larger issue here is what misguided stupidity possesses someone to stand in front of a bulldozer?

The answer to this event lies in pie-in-the-sky attitude these people bring to the table. They believe they can save the world by defending the so-called innocents. They are all wrong, the only innocent people are those who suffer the effects of the 'suicide bomber' in Israel.

Martyrhood is a cold space 6-feet underground.

I agree with the analogy that what we have here is an obvious example of what it takes to cleanse the gene pool.

S*** happens.

[Iwentsouth]

I especially love the part about them burning American and British flags. Along with George W. effigys.

[drhogan]

Dear Freepers,
this is my first post. the Israeli policy of destroying homes is a political and moral mistake, and has no military value. for some Freepers to think that it is good that this
American girl was killed is also a serious political mistake (and moral one as well). being pro-American or even pro-Israeli does not require that people support Nazi-like policies like this. sane, patriotic Americans will think freepers are crazy, right-wing Nazis if they read these comments. I'm kind of horrified myself.
drhogan

[kcvl]

Israel sends tanks and bulldozers into the area almost every day, destroying buildings near the Gaza-Egypt border. The Israelis say Palestinian gunmen use the buildings as cover, and arms-smuggling tunnels dug under the border terminate in the buildings.

[Slings and Arrows]

I've been visting FR for years, and Phil V. is probably the most consistently anti-Israel voice on these boards.

I'd've said that was RCW2001. Still, when you're number two you try harder. :-)

[Paleo Conservative]

Rachel Corey
(Photo: Reuters)