By Michael Gillespie, Contributing Editor
Craig and Cindy Corrie, parents of martyred 23-year-old Evergreen State College student and International Solidarity Movement activist Rachel Corrie, killed in Rafah, Gaza, by an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bulldozer on March 16, 2003, spoke in Des Moines on December 5. The Corries are Iowa natives.
Cindy Corrie began her presentation to about 40 people gathered in the Simmerman Lounge at Westminster Presbyterian Church by talking about the family’s Iowa roots and thanking their Iowa friends and supporters.
“Rachel could relate to her Iowa relatives, farmers who worked on the land here, and how her family here might feel if things like she saw happening to Palestinian farmers, orchards destroyed and that sort of thing, were happening to them. That Iowa connection was really important to Rachel and how she understood Palestine,” said Corrie
“I can’t say enough about the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the support we have received here in Des Moines and across the country. In many ways, people at AFSC were our mentors early on and they continue to be extremely supportive, and we are very, very appreciative of that.” said Corrie.
“The Des Moines Catholic Worker recently named one of their houses for Rachel, and Craig and I visited the house yesterday. I was so pleased to learn that their intention is to have it be a respite place for people who do international solidarity work and who need a place to come back to, to reflect and to rejuvenate themselves. Two of the young people who have been involved in making this happen have spent time in Palestine and in Columbia, so I am really looking forward to staying connected with them,” said Corrie.
Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine is an important issue and one that Americans are increasingly aware of, said Corrie, “and it impacts every one of us, whether we are conscious of that or not.”
Corrie described how she and her husband had learned of their daughter’s death in a call from their son-in-law who, while he and his wife were enjoying their morning coffee, received a call from a friend who had seen and heard the news of Rachel’s death on television. Rachel’s sister Sarah turned on the TV and, as they spoke, the news broadcast was updated.
“On the screen, running across the bottom, were the words, ‘Rachel Corrie of Olympia, Washington, killed in the Gaza Strip.’ That was how our family learned that our lives had changed in an irrevocable way,” said Corrie.
“Rachel was many things. She was a writer, a poet, and artist, a sister, a daughter. And she had dreams. In 1990, in her 5th grade year book, she wrote that the wanted to be a lawyer, a dancer, an actor, a mother, a wife, a children’s author, a distance runner, a poet, a pianist, a pet store owner, an astronaut, an environmental and humanitarian activist, a psychiatrist, a ballet teacher, and the first woman president,” said Corrie.
“Rachel grew up in Olympia, Washington, where Craig and I now live. It’s a beautiful place with mountains and water, forests and rain, salmon and coffee, and Rachel loved all those things. … The world tugged at Rachel. Her response to 9/11 was to become very involved in the peace movement in our community where she focused on some of the negative aspects of the U.S. war on terrorism, the war in Afghanistan, and the U.S. Patriot Act. In April 2002, she led an effort to create a flock of doves for Olympia’s Earth Day tribute, which is called the Procession of the Species, which honors all life. After she celebrated, she wrote, ‘I danced down the street with 40 people, from the age of seven to 70, dressed as doves. In a lot of ways, the procession is a values statement. I am happy to see a peace message included in that. I think it’s important for people who oppose war and oppression to speak about who we are as a community. We are not outside. I think it’s important that human rights and resistance to oppression be included in the way we define ourselves as a community,’” said Corrie.
“Work, study, and people in Olympia led Rachel to Palestine and Israel. She wrote, ‘Why do I want to go? I’ve been organizing in Olympia for a little over a year on antiwar and global justice issues, and at some point it started to feel like this work is missing a solid connection to the people who are most immediately impacted by U.S. foreign policy. I have this underlying need to go a place and meet people who are on the other end of the portion of my tax money that goes to fund the U.S. and other militaries,’” said Corrie.
“After studying and saving, Rachel left Olympia in January 2003 and made her way to Beit Sahour … to train with the International Solidarity Movement. This is a Palestinian led movement that engages Israelis and Internationals in nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. There are only two stipulations for being involved in the ISM. One must believe in freedom for the Palestinian people, and one must agree to use only nonviolent forms of resistance. Rachel chose to go to Rafah, which is at the southernmost tip of the Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt. She knew that it was a very isolated place with possibly the greatest need in all of the Occupied Territories,” said Corrie.
“When she got there, she wrote to us, ‘I couldn’t even have believed that a place like this existed, but even more, can you believe there are children here? Forget the fear – they tell me that at night – Forget the fear. I am ashamed that I am afraid for my own body and dying anonymously inside a house in one of the most populous places on earth, where children die as martyrs of the Occupation, which we pay for, quietly, without ever knowing their names. We need more people. I love all of you, Rachel,’” said Corrie, quoting from one of her daughter’s messages.
Corrie said there were two IDF Caterpillar bulldozers on the scene as well as an armored personnel carrier the day Rachel was killed. In each bulldozer were two soldiers, the driver and a commander who is supposed to act as second set of eyes. Seven International eye witnesses were present, said Corrie.
“It is documented in U.S. Senate testimony that President Bush personally telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Sharon to request a thorough, credible, and transparent investigation in Rachel’s case, and that he was given personal assurances by the prime minister that there would be one. In May 2003, the Israeli military’s Advocate General’s office closed the case, however, concluding that the two soldiers in the bulldozer didn’t see her. Seven International witnesses say she was visible. No charges were brought. The Israeli government declined to release its report of the investigation to the U.S. government,” said Corrie.
Corrie noted that several U.S. State Department officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff, Larry Wilkerson, have said that the Israeli investigation was not thorough, credible, or transparent. Despite U.S. laws and regulations governing arms exports and financing that could be used to force Israel to conduct a credible investigation, the Israeli government, the largest recipient of U.S. military aid, has stonewalled all requests by the U.S. Department of State for a thorough, credible, and transparent investigation of Rachel Corrie’s death.
On the advice of U.S. officials, the Corrie family filed a civil suit in Israel in 2005. During the trial, which is scheduled to conclude in April 2012, the Israeli government has withheld evidence, including video of the incident which has been aired on Israeli television.
“There have been 14 hearings, 22 testimonies, and over 2,000 pages of recorded court transcripts. And we have had all of those translated into English from Hebrew in order to know what has been said,” said Corrie.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak authorized a security certificate that prevented the Corries from seeing some of the IDF personnel who testified from behind a screen.
“We weren’t able to see the driver or the commander of the bulldozer. It was very disappointing,” said Corrie, who noted that the driver of the bulldozer testified that he could not remember the time of day, morning, noon, or evening, that he drove his bulldozer over her daughter.
“We did not hear any remorse; indifference was the way it came across to us,” said Corrie.
The family made four trips to Haifa, Israel, for the trial, spending nearly seven months in Israel during the testimony period of the proceedings.
We were struck by the lead investigator’s failure to look for evidence, failure to secure evidence, failure to resolve conflicting evidence, and failure to turn evidence over to the court, said Corrie.
It appeared, said Corrie, that the investigating team set out with the intention of exonerating the IDF.
“It was really clear that that was their goal, rather than to impartially determine what actually happened on March 16, 2003,” said Corrie.
During the Q&A, Craig Corrie responded to The Independent Monitor’s questions about the co-operation the family has received from the Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Israel during the Bush and the Obama administrations.
Corrie noted that the family was able to establish contact with Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff Larry Wilkerson early on and has maintained contact with various DoS and embassy officials over the years.
Corrie described a memorable moment during one meeting with high-level officials.
“One of those people who was a special envoy to Jerusalem said, ‘I want to tell you that I’ve gained great respect for the ISM and the members of the ISM who I’ve met while I was in Jerusalem,’ and nobody [in the room seemed shocked by the observation.] They’re all nodding their heads! So, a lot of times, when we’re talking, these people agree with us – but it doesn’t change policy,” said Corrie.
“There has been a lot of support in one way, in trying to do this lawsuit, OK? But on the other hand, the head of a state gave a promise to our state, promising a credible and transparent investigation. As a father, I can’t enforce that. And as heads of state, they’re not enforcing it,” said Craig Corrie.
“And we’re sending them $30 billion anyway, so there is a lot of frustration,” said Cindy Corrie, noting that members of the Corrie family have visited the Washington office of every member of the U.S. Congress to provide information about Rachel and the need for a thorough, credible, and transparent investigation of her death.
“Of course, there are new people there now and we may have to start over,” said Cindy Corrie.
