Israeli defense ministry goes on trial for Corrie death Wednesday

Published today (updated) 09/03/2010 13:58

Jerusalem - Ma'an -

On Wednesday, the Israeli occupation government so-called "defense ministry" will go on trial as a court hears a case filed by the parents of Rachel Corrie, the American peace activist who was run down by an Israeli military bulldozer in Rafah, during March 2003.

The civil law suit seeks to hold the Israeli occupation forces responsible for the death of Rachel Corrie, the 23-year-old activist who was crushed to death as she protested a Palestinian home from demolition in the Gaza Strip.

"We claim that her assassination was intentional," or, at the very least, that the army is guilty of "huge negligence," Hussain Abu Hussain, the attorney who filed the petition on behalf of Corrie's parents, commented.

Abu Hussain cites the state's acknowledgment of the fact that Corrie and other members of the International Solidarity Movement—a Palestinian-led peace organization that advocates non-violent means of resistance to the Israeli occupation—were demonstrating in the area for several hours before Corrie was struck by the bulldozer. He also points out that Corrie was wearing a fluorescent orange vest to increase her visibility.

At the time of her death, the Israeli military response was that the driver of the machine did not see Corrie.

"If you see people, you should stop and think of all the needed steps not to harm [them]. Instead of stopping the D9, which weighs 64 tons, they continued. And due to that, [Corrie] was killed," Abu Hussein said.

Four of Corrie's fellow activists who witnessed her death, were initially denied entry into Israel where they were asked to testify at the trial, but US pressure reportedly changed the Israeli position. One US citizen and three UK nationals will now be able to speak at the trial, which is expected to last two weeks.

Israel will not issue an entry permit to Dr Ahmed Abu Nakira, the Gazan physician who saw Corrie after she was injured and declared her dead. The state rejected the request for his entry on the grounds that there is no coordination between Israel and Gaza, due to the Israeli blockade that began after Hamas rose to power in 2007.

"It's an obstacle to justice," Abu Hussain said. "On the one side, [Israel] won't give permission [for Dr Abu Nakira] to come; on the other they won't allow him to testify by videoconference, which is used daily by courts everywhere in the modern world."

Speaking shortly after Corrie's death, an Israeli military spokesperson called the incident a "regrettable accident." An internal investigation conducted by the Israeli army later absolved the soldier operating the bulldozer of any wrong doing. The report, released in April of 2003, claimed that Corrie was not killed by the "engineering vehicle" but "was struck by a hard object, most probably a slab of concrete which was moved or slid down while the mound of earth which she was standing behind was moved." The army accused Corrie and the other activists present of behaving in an "illegal, irresponsible, and dangerous" manner.

Abu Hussain says that the army's investigation lacked transparency. The civil suit, which was filed in 2005, is the only way to hold the state accountable for Corrie's death, he says.

While it is exceedingly rare for the Israeli Defense Ministry to take direct responsibility in such cases, the state has made financial reparations to a handful of families like the Corries. Just two months after Corrie's death, British journalist and filmmaker James Miller, 34, was shot to death by an Israeli soldier. After an army investigation found no wrongdoing, the UK warned it would extradite the soldiers involved. Last year, Israel settled out of court with Miller's family for approximately 1.5 million pounds (2.25 million US dollars).

"The family is not seeking money. They're seeking acknowledgment of responsibility by the state," Abu Hussein says. If the Corries do receive compensation from Israel, they intend to donate the sum to "the matter Rachel was struggling for—for peace."

The Corries' suit "underscores that Israel doesn't prosecute" soldiers accused of wrongdoing and that the state behaves it is "exempt from accountability," Abu Hussein said.

"In the cases brought by Palestinians against the IDF [Israeli forces], more than 90 percent are denied," he says, pointing to a culture of immunity that has been criticized human rights groups.

From 2000 to 2009, the Israeli NGO Yesh Din monitored almost 2000 Israeli military investigations into incidents in which a Palestinian or international claimed the army was guilty of a criminal offense, including unlawful shooting that led to injury or death. Indictments were filed in only six percent of these cases. Many of the soldiers who were prosecuted cut deals with the court that reduced the severity of both the charges and punishments.

"When we look at the number of cases, and we look at the fact that only six percent yield indictments, it is safe to assume that a soldier in the field today will know that he can get away with pretty much anything," Yesh Din's research director Lior Yavne remarks.

A media liaison for the Corries emphasized that the family hopes the upcoming trial will bring attention to ongoing human rights abuses perpetrated by the Israeli army in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. "The issue is Palestine and human rights defenders," the liaison says. "They want to highlight Gaza in light of [the UN-commissioned] Goldstone [report] and Operation Cast Lead."

Mya Guarnieri is a regular contributor to The National (Abu Dhabi), The Huffington Post, and The Jerusalem Post. Her work has also appeared in Outlook India– India’s equivalent to and subsidiary of Newsweek– as well as Electronic Intifada, The Forward, Maan News Agency, Haaretz, Common Ground News Service, and Zeek amongst a variety of other international publications.

Call to action: Rachel Corrie trial in Israel

ISM, March 8, 2010

Rachel Corrie Foundation

Friends,

As many of you know, a civil lawsuit in the case of our daughter Rachel Corrie is scheduled for trial in the Haifa District Court beginning March 10, 2010. A human rights observer and activist, Rachel, 23, tried nonviolently to offer protection for a Palestinian family whose home was threatened with demolition by the Israeli military. On March 16, 2003, she was crushed to death by an Israel Defense Force (IDF) Caterpillar D9R bulldozer in Rafah, Gaza.

The lawsuit is one piece of our family’s seven-year effort to pursue justice for our daughter and sister. We hope this trial will illustrate the need for accountability for thousands of lives lost, or indelibly injured, by occupation—in a besieged and beleaguered Gaza and throughout Palestine/Israel; bring attention to the assault on nonviolent human rights activists (Palestinian, Israeli, and international); and underscore the fact that so many Palestinian families, harmed as deeply as ours, cannot access Israeli courts. In order to deliver these interconnected messages as effectively as possible, we are asking for large-scale participation in the trial itself as well as in the events surrounding it. We hope you will join us for all or some of the events listed below and help us to put the call out to others.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10 9:00-16:00—Trial Begins in the Haifa District Court (12 Palyam St. Haifa)

A strong presence of human rights observers, legal observers, and others on the first day of the trial will send the message that this case is being closely monitored and that truth, accountability and justice matter to us all. Other trial dates are: March 14, 15, 17, 21, 22 and 24. Supportive presence at all court sessions is both welcome and needed!

FRIDAY, MARCH 12 13:00-15:00—Film Screening at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque (2 Shprinzak St. Tel Aviv)

Screening of the documentary film RACHEL followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Simone Bitton and the Corrie family. RACHEL is a cinematic inquiry into Rachel’s killing. It raises many of the questions that should be asked and addressed during the trial.

TUESDAY, MARCH 16 20:00-22:00—Memorial; Location TBA

March 16th marks the seven-year anniversary of Rachel’s killing. We hope to mark this day as a “Day of Conscience” with a large gathering that calls for truth, accountability and justice, in Rachel’s case and beyond. There will also be events in Gaza (at the Rachel Corrie Children and Youth Cultural Center in Rafah), possibly in the West Bank (TBA), and around the world. If you are not with us in Palestine/Israel, please think about how you and your group/community can be visible/audible on March 16.

We expect this to be a challenging time, but we know the friendship we have felt from so many of you over the years will help us navigate the weeks ahead. Though the course and outcome of the trial are unknown, we welcome the opportunity to raise and highlight many of the critical issues to which Rachel’s case is linked. Thank you for your continuing support.

In solidarity and with much appreciation,

Cindy & Craig Corrie