rylah
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- Jun 10, 2015
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Rachel Corrie was killed by the IDF 20 years ago. Her parents still fight for justice
Exclusive: In the two decades since their peace activist daughter died, Cindy and Craig Corrie have been unable to hold anyone accountable. But they have not given up their hopes for peace, they tell Andrew Buncombewww.independent.co.uk
It is almost 20 years since that terrible day — March 16, 2003 — when they learned their daughter had been killed in southern Gaza, crushed by a 60-tonne D9 bulldozer built by Caterpillar Inc and operated by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Rachel had been part of a group of Palestinian and international activists seeking to halt the destruction of Palestinian property. That day, they they had been acting as human shields to stop the flattening of a home in the Rafah refugee camp occupied by the families of two brothers, Khaled and Samir Nasrallah.
The fact that countless thousands of Palestinians have died in the two decades since then — the majority, Palestinians argue, killed illegally by Israeli forces — sickens Rachel’s parents. They are aware of criticisms that the publicity afforded their daughter’s death was vastly more than when a Palestinian is killed. The two facts help motivate them to continue their work at the foundation they created in their daughter’s name.
Within days, they realised their daughter’s death had set them on a different course. There was no going back. There was no time travel trick to bring back their “magical and caring” child, who had dreamed of being a poet or dancer.
She had been killed, but they had to find a way to keep living, for the sake of their other children — Rachel also had a brother, Chris — for themselves, and for the cause for which Rachel had given her life.
<p>Corrie pictured hours before her death in front of a bulldozer. She and fellow activists were trying to prevent demolition of Palestinian homes</p>
Corrie pictured hours before her death in front of a bulldozer. She and fellow activists were trying to prevent demolition of Palestinian homes
(Video screen grab)
They were part of a club of which nobody seeks membership: parents or relatives of a loved one lost too early, whether through police violence, a school shooting, or else a rare disease the world knows little about. Even back then, they were wary of the oft-touted talk of “achieving closure”. Accountability, perhaps, felt more appropriate — but they are far still from securing that.
In some Islamist states,
her parents would be forced
to apologize for such dishonor
and beg for a pardon on live TV
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