#14 /2003 Peace Tour: Death of a Political Activist

DEATH OF AN ACTIVIST

#14

On March 16, Rachel Corrie, an American activist from Olympia, Washington, was killed when she was run over by an Israeli bulldozer. Corrie, 23, a student at Evergreen College and a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, had been trying to stop a bulldozer from tearing down a building in the Rafah refugee camp, where the Israeli Army and Palestinian militants wage frequent gun battles.

As the American-made Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer approached a house scheduled for demolition, Corrie, who was wearing a bright orange jacket, dropped to her knees, a practice that members of the International Solidarity Movement have used repeatedly. When the bulldozer reached her without decelerating, Corrie started to get up, but was trapped beneath a pile of dirt generated by the blade and the blade itself.

According to the “New York Times”, Israel has almost daily been tearing down houses of Palestinians it suspects in connection with Islamic militant groups, saying such operations deter attacks on Israel such as suicide bombings.

The Israeli military said the driver of the bulldozer had not seen Corrie, and called her death “a very regrettable accident.” In a statement, the Israeli military said the soldiers in Rafah “were dealing with 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.”