Rachel

The Seattle Times reports today:

Israel's military prosecutor has exonerated Israeli soldiers in the death of Rachel Corrie, 23, who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in March as she protested the destruction of a Palestinian home at the Rafah refugee camp.

Though I didn't know her, Rachel's death made me very sad at the time. I honestly don't know what really happened, as it is with all such things. If you don't remember the story, here are a few accounts:

* The Observer - Making of a martyr - As always, Rachel Corrie went last Sunday to the falafel stall where she usually had lunch and bantered with the Palestinian proprietors. Carrying a loudspeaker and wearing an orange fluorescent vest, the young American peace campaigner was heading for a protest against the Israeli army's demolition of Palestinian houses in the Gaza Strip town of Rafah.

Later that afternoon Corrie, 23, died under the blade of an Israeli bulldozer and now, according to a growing legend, she is a new heroine for Palestine. There are graffiti in Gaza in her honour - one slogan reads: 'Rachel was a US citizen with Palestinian blood' - there is a picture of her on the website of the terrorist group, an honour usually reserved for suicide bombers. Yasser Arafat has pledged to name a street after her.

* WaPo - American Is Killed By Israeli Bulldozer - Corrie, who had been in the Middle East for about six weeks as a volunteer for a U.S.-based Palestinian support group called the International Solidarity Movement, was kneeling in front of the bulldozer and tried to scramble out of its way, said Tom Dale, 18, a British protester who said he was standing several yards away.

"She thought they'd stop, but they kept going," Dale said. "She tried to stand up and fell over backwards. The bulldozer dragged her under its blade. About four of the internationals [protesters] gestured to the driver . . . but it kept going, and she was under the main body of the bulldozer.

* Ha'aretz - American peace activist killed by army bulldozer in Rafah - Israeli officials expressed "regret" over the incident to American officials, sources in Jerusalem said, and in Washington, a State Department statement said it had received reports of the incident, and was "assessing the situation."

Some say she was effectively aiding and abetting Palestinian terrorists. Who should I believe? The Palestinians, who have made her a martyr, or the IDF and its defenders, who say she was protecting tunnels used by murderers? Again, I don't know. Here's what Israel Insider said about Rachel:

[T]he sacrifice Corrie emblematized was that of others -- the victims of violence that she facilitated. She dedicated her life to protecting tunnels used to smuggle weapons and bombs from Egypt into Gaza. The elaborate structures, dug from inside homes under living rooms, bathrooms and bedrooms and often outfitted with electricity, elevators and communications equipment, serve as a means to the murders of Israeli civilians.

Corrie was acting on behalf of the radical Arab-led International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a group dedicated to "resistance" against "the occupation of Palestine." In her diary, Corrie writes sympathetically of the killing of Israelis by Arab terrorists. "[T]ry to imagine, please," she gushes, "the courage it requires."
...
Terrorists like Omar Khan Sharif and Asif Mohammed Hanif who, under the cover of Corrie's ISM, slipped into Israel from Gaza on April 30 and went to a Tel Aviv beachfront pub strapped with bombs that might have come through Corrie's tunnels. There they murdered three people and maimed 55, all innocents who were merely enjoying drinks and human company -- life-affirming acts that required negation.

The bulldozer that killed Rachel was ostensibly on a tunnel-destroying mission. Clearly I can have no idea if that's true or not, so I won't comment on that. But let me note that the author of the above article sneers at Rachel's ability to see another side of the issue. To add context to what he quoted, here are her words in full:

I would also like to ask you, and those to whom you pass this on, to think about the relative positions of the fighters and occupiers in this monumentally unequal struggle. While the huge force of Israelis have every technical aid invented by the US war machine, the few young fighters have NOTHING BUT THEIR WEAPON (and this not the most modern) - no helmet, bullet proof vest, radio contact or other protection. No back-up, no plane, helicopter, tank, APC, searchlight, dogs, flares, ambulance or refuge - put all the Israeli/American propaganda aside for a few minutes and try to imagine, please, the courage it requires to do what these young fighters do, knowing that the odds are against escape and that, every time they do succeed in evading death, the odds against a further survival are shortened. Even if the operation is a success the price is always high.

Yes, she is talking about people who are killing innocent Israelis, but listen to her plea. She rightly observes the obvious imbalance in power, the overwhelming Goliath that Israel has become. This doesn't sound like gushing, to me. More like a non-violent activist who understands the situation all too well.

On some of the conservative blogs and other sites a lot of noise has been made about the pictures of Rachel lighting a paper American flag on fire. Somehow, they see this as proof that she was in fact violent. While rich with symbolism, her act is as non-violent as any other she engaged in. America funds an Israeli military machine which has killed almost two thousand Palestinians*, and I can certainly understand someone like Rachel wanting to protest our involvement in such slaughter.

Bottom-line: Rachel was someone engaged in active, non-violent struggle for people who really feel powerless. This might sound odd, but I hope her example ultimately will show the Palestinians that there might be other ways to fight than by blowing up Israeli buses and cafes. It's pretty clear to me, as it was apparently clear to Rachel, that their armed resistance is futile. Time for both sides to find another path.

If you would like to know more about Rachel Corrie, check out ISM's website, which includes photos, correspondence, and other items of interest.

Peace,
ntodd

* I included this International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism report in an effort to provide full disclosure about some of the stats we've heard about I/P casualties. At least according to this report, whose veracity I cannot vouch for, the imbalance in the number of civilians killed on either side is not "as bad" as often reported. And yet 34% more Palestinian noncombatants have died. Further, the number of combatant deaths I think also illustrates how much more powerful the IDF is. That said, I find keeping score to be a gruesome and unhelpful exercise. The butcher bill is simply too great on either side, and let's leave it at that.


  ¶ 4:35 PM