Still no Justice for Rachel Corrie (Cry Me a River Alert!)

Seattle PI, via Palestine Chronicle ^ | January 23, 2004 | Wendly Smith

[PeaceCorpsGuy]

Still No Justice for Rachel Corrie - Smith --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, January 23 2004 @ 12:57 PM EST

"It is an insult to the human heart to have to force government officials to do their jobs properly while digesting the fact your child has been brutally killed .."

By WENDY SMITH

Tom Hurndall, a 22-year-old British peace activist, died last week in a London hospital. He was shot in the head by Israeli sniper fire nine months ago while shepherding Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip out of the line of fire. He had been in a coma since his injury. Hours before Hurndall died, the soldier who shot him was charged with aggravated assault. The charge is now likely to be revised to manslaughter or murder; British police are participating in an official investigation of his death.

Rachel Corrie from Olympia was crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer in the Rafah refugee camp about a month before Hurndall was shot there. Like Hurndall, Corrie was a volunteer with the Palestinian-led International Solidarity Movement to End the Occupation of Palestine (ISM). Like Hurndall, she was killed by an identifiable Israeli soldier. As in Hurndall's case, the Israeli government initially released a report on Corrie's killing, stating that nobody connected with the Israeli military was culpable and that further investigation was not required.

So, why has Hurndall's killer been charged when nothing has happened to Corrie's killer?

According to the Hurndall family, the only reason the soldier who shot him has been charged is because of pressure applied by the family. Hurndall's father is an attorney. He went to Rafah shortly after the shooting and compiled an extensive dossier of eyewitness affidavits, forensics reports, photographs and other relevant information. This dossier was put before the British foreign secretary in a way that made it very difficult to ignore. Ultimately, the British government went to bat for Hurndall, an unarmed British civilian killed by an Israeli soldier under the impression that he could shoot with impunity.

Indeed, the soldier had good reason to believe this. More than 2,000 unarmed Palestinian civilians, many of them children, have been killed in the occupied territories since the current intifada began in September 2000. Only 10 Israeli soldiers have been indicted and none has been convicted. A culture of impunity permeates the Israeli military, which is well known for its non-investigations of itself. For this reason, the Hurndall family would like to see the investigation of his death extend all the way up the chain of command.

Corrie's parents are not lawyers. In addition, they were told by members of the Washington state congressional delegation and State Department officials that if they quietly played along, justice for their daughter would ultimately be achieved. So far, all that has emerged is a non-credible Israeli military report claiming that 1) Corrie was not run over by a bulldozer and 2) even if she had been, the driver could not have seen her. These statements are contradicted respectively by the autopsy report and multiple eyewitness reports.

It is an insult to the human heart to have to force government officials to do their jobs properly while digesting the fact your child has been brutally killed.

Somehow the Hurndall family was able to take the necessary steps in the timeframe required. Believing what their congressman, senators and State Department officials told them, the Corries have been left to swallow lies.

Is this the best our members of Congress can do for a citizen killed abroad? Plenty of them made pretty speeches but real action is a question of political will.

About the author: Wendy Smith of Seattle is an activist with the Seattle Palestine Solidarity Committee.

Source: The Seattle PI

[skip2myloo]

Its hard to tell what Rachel intended to do, but I doubt she was ready to become a martyr for Palestinians.

Probably, she was attempting to disrupt the bulldozer as a human shield by jumping in and out of its path.

It was a dangerous game, and I think she likely zigged when she should've zagged, a horrible accident.

She was not armed, and there was no apparent political or military rationale for Israel to run her down intentionally.

The rest of the stuff about UN resolutions and international law and occupied territories has been hashed and rehashed.

There will never be peace for Palestinians (or Israelis) so long as the ultimate objective of Hamas and other terrorist groups is the destruction of Israel.

The road map calls for Palestinian recognition of Israel's right to exist - until that happens there will be no progress.

Its all so unfortunate.

[Nix 2]

Man, I went to one of those in West Hollywood when I didn't know any better. Cripes!!!!

As for rachel from Seattle, she should have stayed home. No one really wanted her to become part of the landscape in Israel, but she was certainly intent on it. Must have been a product of Seattle government schools.

[Liberty Reigns]

"Its hard to tell what Rachel intended to do..."

I agree. However, in a letter to Olympia, she wrote about "the difficulties the Israeli Army would face if they shot an unarmed US citizen" This letter was posted on Indymedia before her death. Obviously, as you pointed out, the Israelis have nothing to gain by targeting foreign "citizen activists." ISM has much to gain in politically exploiting her death.

[Prodigal Son]

She also wrote about worries that by immersing herself in the situation her own objectivity would be forfeited.

[Slings and Arrows]

[The language in the below parable has been edited slightly to conform to FR posting standards. Hopefully the intent is clear.]

See Richard and Jane.

See the oncoming bulldozer.

See Jane run away from the bulldozer. Run Jane run!

See Richard stand in front of the bulldozer. Stand Richard stand!

See Jane live.

See Richard die.

MORAL: Don't be a Richard.

[skip2myloo]

If she intended to martyr herself, and wrote her own epitaph, then she truly was misguided -- making this story all the more tragic.

Yes, ISM will exploit her death in any way they perceive will advantage their cause.

[Slings and Arrows]

You know what Rachel Corrie died of?

Cat' scratch fever.

[Nix 2]

All I've been hearing about is poor Rachel. What about the poor young soldier who was operating the dozer? What do you suppose his reaction was when he climbed off that huge piece of equipment and found out what he had done? This is something that no one was prepared for, but Corrie was NOT the only victim. The young soldier might not be dead, but the experience has to be traumatic. Sympathy has not been extended in his direction until this very moment, except maybe by people close to him. Accidents like this are uncommon. Dealing with it is uncommonly painful as well. I feel sorrier for him because SHE made him the victim of her own thoughtless stupidity and no one even realizes it.

[Nagilum]

"We will make no distinction between the terrorists and those who harbor them."

How about aiding and abetting, because that's what Rachel was doing. I agree it is tragic, but the tragedy is not in the outcome, the tragedy, as you stated, is in the fact that she was so misled in the first place. Once she crossed the line to aiding the terrorists, she took any consequences of her actions into her own hands. I don't feel sorry she was killed, I feel sorry that no one was there to prevent her from making such a huge mistake that set her on the path to her eventual death.

We need to educate more and stop portraying Palestinians as victims. And if anyone disagrees, I just ask you to watch the 9/11 tape of Palestinians celebrating one more time.

[King Prout]

no justice for Rachael Corrie?
I coulda sworn she was sentenced adequately by a righteous street-Judge... Judge Tredd.

[mhking]

I coulda sworn she was sentenced adequately by a righteous street-Judge... Judge Tredd.

[King Prout]

thank you, Sir - I figgered you'd have a choice illo.

[10mm]

Looks like "bluester the Troll" was driven back into his cave. No posts on FR since early in this thread.

"You can't hide from Google!"

[Prodigal Son]

Pretty good troll- given he's been here as long as you (longer than me).

[10mm]

Yes, I will agree that he is a very accomplished troll. Never quite articulating his revulsion of Jews, only his neverending support of all things Islamofascist. Managing to stay just off the Zot-radar with his infrequent posts.

An enduring troll, indeed.

[rmlew]

"The Golan Heights are occupied annexed and part of Israel. This should be off the table.
I'm talking in terms of international law definitions.

You know my position. I am for transfering the Arabs out of Yesha and I consider the Golan to be too important to give up.

[yonif]

occupied territory

If it is being occupied, what sovereign power is Israel occupying?

[yonif]

The Golan Heights are occupied annexed and part of Israel. This should be off the table.

Bump

[SJackson]

I can't believe Israel has even brought the Golan up.

[American in Israel]

They were playing 'chicken'

That is truely insane!