Still no justice 20 years after Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by Israeli bulldozer
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Israeli regime’s murder of Rachel Corrie, an American pro-Palestine activist, in the Gaza Strip, but her parents are still battling for accountability and justice.
Corrie, a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), was crushed to death by a 60-tonne Israeli armored bulldozer on March 16, 2003, while acting as a human shield to stop a Palestinian home from demolition in the Rafah refugee camp.
Since her death, which happened at the height of the Second Intifada (uprising), the 23-year-old activist has been remembered as an icon for the Palestinian struggle against Israel’s decades-long occupation.
“I think freedom for Palestine could be an incredible source of hope to people struggling all over the world,” she wrote just two weeks before her death.
Rachel’s parents lodged legal challenges against the Israeli military and the Texas-based Caterpillar Inc., the bulldozer’s manufacturer, but their efforts failed.
In 2012, an Israeli court ruled against the parents, clearing the regime’s military and the bulldozer’s driver of any wrongdoing. Israel’s Supreme Court also upheld the verdict.
Cindy and Craig Corrie, Rachel’s parents, said they were unable to hold anyone accountable for their daughter’s death, or for Israel’s “violent occupation” of Palestine. The parents also said they have been unable to impact America’s policy towards Israel, which, with few exceptions, is one of unquestioning support by top elected officials of both parties.
“People will say we were trying to find justice. I don’t even know what that word means anymore,” said her father. “I think you have to look to South Africa for some of the ways that you might be able to find justice.”
He also said that he does feel that inability to find accountability has taken its toll, adding, “All of this has to be recognized, and amongst all this violence now what I think we’re witnessing is the killing of hope, and hope is what you have that’s the first thing you need to survive.”
Rachel Corrie’s murder and her family’s long fight for justice are emblematic of Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians, exposing the brutality of the regime’s army.
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