Monday, September 3, 2012

Reactions to Rachel Corrie Verdict

A U.N. official Thursday condemned an Israeli court finding that cleared the army of any blame for the death of U.S. peace activist Rachel Corrie as “a defeat for justice and accountability.”
Anti-wall marches held in solidarity with slain activist Rachel Corrie Some anti-wall marches of the West Bank on Friday afternoon were dedicated to advocating the issue of slain peace activist Rachel Corrie who was crushed brutally to death by an Israeli bulldozer.
Tuesday 28 August was an extraordinary day for the BBC, even by its own low standards of reporting on Palestine. This was the day an Israeli court absolved the State of Israel of any responsibility for the death of Rachel Corrie, the 23-year-old American activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli armored bulldozer in Gaza in 2003. BBC Radio 4’s World at One program ran a seven-minute segment on the court’s decision, including an interview with Israeli government spokesperson Mark Regev. Partway through this interview, the BBC presenter, Martha Kearney, made this astonishing claim: “Clearly Rachel Corrie was one of the casualties of what happened that day, and I know Israeli soldiers died too.”
An Israeli court ruling that Rachel Corrie was responsible for her own death is a manifestation of the disregard for human rights that dominates all Israeli institutions.
On August 28th, the day that an Israeli Judge absolved the military of any responsibility in the 2003 killing of peace activist Rachel Corrie as she stood to protect a Palestinian home from demolition, the majority of the small Palestinian village of Khirbet Zanuta was demolished. In the South Hebron Hills, the Israeli military destroyed homes, animal shelters and water wells. Villagers tried unsuccessfully to stop the demolition by sitting on the excavator’s shovel. Eight villages in the region are currently at risk of evacuation because the Israeli military intends to use the area for military exercises.

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