Palestine-Israel Conflict

In Memory of Rachel Corrie

A young pacifist, Rachel Corrie of only 23 years, lost her life. She was a student of the Olympia University (Washington) and she was part of a voluntary organization for justice and peace.

With her organisation, she commemorated the anniversary of September 11 and the victims of the the war in Afghanistan.

This year, Rachel decided to put theory into practice. She went to Israel, where she was involved in action with the International Solidarity Movement at the border of Palestine. She participated to stop an Israeli bulldozer from destroying the houses of Palestinian families.

To her friends she wrote by e-mails: “They destroy the houses even if there are still people inside. They have no respect for anything or anybody.”

On 15 March, in an action near the Gaza line, Rachel was with her friends to oppose the demolitions. “She was doing a sit-in in the way of the Bulldozer, the driver saw her, but went straight on, passing over her”, declares Joseph Smith, an American pacifist.

“The bulldozer put earth over her and began to press on her”, said Nicholas Dure, another friend of hers.

Her friends tried in every way to stop the bulldozer, and to give her first aid, but their was nothing they could do.

Rachel Corrie lost her life of only 23 years defending with her body and her ideas the civil rights of Palestinians to have a house and a home.

The Israeli authorities gave different versions of what happened, but all of them were contradicted by the photos and testimonials.

She was killed in a barbaric way, while she was doing a sit-in.

Rachel and her friends denounced: every day many houses are destroyed in the Gaza line, and that bombs damaged the sweet water sinks in the camp of refugees in Rafah and they have no means to defend themselves without staying in the fire line of Israeli soldiers.

There have been many initiatives in Olympia (Washington) and in the US to remember Rachel.