Rachel Corrie, 23, Was Crushed to Death Mark R
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Published by Americans for The Link Middle East Understanding, Inc. Volume 36, Issue 5 Link Archives: www.ameu.org December, 2003 By Her Mother, Cindy Corrie The Link Page 2 book table at the annual ADC convention. AMEU’s His most recent project was developing a lesson module for schools and study Board of Directors groups on the Israel/Palestine Conflict. He Jane Adas AMEU was founded 36 years ago as a had just begun testing the module in Hugh D. Auchincloss, Jr. nonprofit, educational organization. schools, when he died at the age of 52. He Atwater, Bradley & Partners, Inc. Over the years we have come to know will be sorely missed. Edward J. Dillon many outstanding educators. Sadly, we Henry G. Fischer (Vice President) report the deaths of five who have con- Dr. Evelyn Menconi taught in the Boston Curator Emeritus, Dept. of Egyptian Art, tributed significantly to our understand- Metropolitan Museum of Art Public Schools, earning her doctorate in ing of Middle East history, culture, and John Goelet education at age 60. Among her many ac- current events. complishments, she published cookbooks Richard Hobson, Jr. Vice President, Olayan America Corp. (“Arabic Cooking in America”), served as The Rev. L. Humphrey Walz helped Kendall Landis curator of the William Abdalah Memorial those fleeing Hitler’s madness during Library in Boston, and helped in the pro- Robert L. Norberg (Vice and after WW II. Then, in 1948, he President) duction of the Arabic Hour television pro- helped to bring the plight of Palestinian gram. Shortly before her sudden death, she Hon. Edward L. Peck refugees to the attention of the U.S. pub- Former U.S. Ambassador sent a message to her e-mail list calling at- lic. As part of that effort he co-founded Lachlan Reed tention to our October-November Link President, Lachlan International our organization and served as the first “Why Do They Hate Us?” as a MUST Talcott W. Seelye editor of this publication. A profile of his READ. The day before she died, she sent Former U.S. Ambassador to Syria life is offered on page 13. us a donation. Gracious, generous, ener- Donald L. Snook getic, Evelyn was also, I am proud to say, a Jack B. Sunderland (President) Dr. Edward Said was a prolific writer. good friend. President, American Independent Oil Co. Since we first put together our full- James M. Wall length book catalog in the late 70’s, his Rachel Corrie, 23, was crushed to death Mark R. Wellman (Treasurer) books have consistently been among our by an Israeli bulldozer on March 16. She Financial Consultant bestsellers. In addition to being a writer, was protesting the destruction of a Pales- he was a renowned professor at Colum- tinian pharmacist’s family home in Gaza’s AMEU National Council bia University, a classical pianist, and a Rafah refugee camp. Up until her death, Hon. James E. Akins, Isabelle fighter. For years he fought leukemia, Rachel regularly sent letters home to her Bacon, William R. Chandler, David and noted wryly that he was being given parents. Edward Said, who met the parents S. Dodge, Paul Findley, Dr. experimental therapies at a Jewish hospi- shortly before his own death, called these Cornelius B. Houk, Cynthia tal, under the direction of an Indian doc- letters “truly remarkable documents of her Infantino O. Kelly Ingram, tor, in the care of Irish nurses. “I’m their ordinary humanity that make for very diffi- Moorhead Kennedy, Ann Kerr, longest survivor,” he once told me, as cult and moving reading.” I have heard John J. McCloy II, David Nes, Mary pleased, seemingly, for the care givers as Rachel’s mother speak of her daughter Norton, C. Herbert Oliver, Marie for himself. With similar heroism he twice, once at the ADC’s convention and Petersen, Dr. John C. Trever, Don pledged that he would speak out, to his once at the United Nations, and on both W. Wagner, Miriam Ward, RSM dying breath, for the rights of his people. occasions, when she finished, the audience Which is exactly what he did. rose to their feet. Their applause was for Executive Director the daughter, who gave her life for others, John F. Mahoney Issam Nashashibi, born in Jerusalem, and for the parents, who just want us to came from a prominent Palestinian fam- know who their daughter was and what ily forced into exile after the 1967 war. A meaning can be found in her sacrifice. We AMEU (ISSN 0024-4007) grants successful businessman, Issam wrote are honored that they agreed to write this permission to reproduce material articles for leading U.S. publications, article for The Link. from The Link in part or in whole. served on the board of the American- AMEU must be credited and one copy forwarded to our office at 475 Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Riverside Drive, Room 245, New (ADC), was president of the U.S. chapter John F. Mahoney York, New York 10115-0245. Tel. of Deir Yassin Remembered, and actively 212-870-2053; Fax 212-870-2050; Executive Director E-mail: [email protected]; Website: supported our own efforts. This past www.ameu.org. June, he spent three days behind our The Link Page 3 Rachel, Brian, and Tom unarmed and nonviolent. And as with so many other killings of unarmed civilians in the Occupied Pales- My daughter, Rachel Corrie, was one of those tinian Territories, the Israeli military has assumed no brave activists, now numbering in the thousands, responsibility. who have made the journey from the safety of their In the months since Rachel’s killing, our family own countries and homes to the Occupied Palestin- has had numerous opportunities to talk with I.S.M. ian Territories. They come to see for themselves, to volunteers from the U.S. and from other countries. join in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and to We have been struck by their thoughtfulness, their work for a more peaceful world. intelligence, their dedication, and, of course, their Rachel connected with the International Solidar- courage. They are young and old and in between— ity Movement (I.S.M.), a group of Palestinian-led in- college students and retirees. They come from the ternational activists who use non-violent methods United States, from the United Kingdom, Canada, and strategies to confront the Israeli occupation. Ac- Sweden, Denmark, Japan, South Africa, Australia— cording to Huwaida Arraf (one of the co-founders), from many countries in the world. They are stu- I.S.M. was formed “to dents, teachers, ac- provide the Palestinian countants, lawyers, people with a resource, poets, mothers, fathers, international protec- grandmothers. They tion and a voice with are Christians, Jews, which to resist, non- Muslims and undoubt- violently, an over- edly come from other whelming military oc- faiths, as well. They cupation force.” have gone to Palestine In March and because, in 2001, the April of this year, three U.S. and Israel vetoed I.S.M. activists suffered a United Nations reso- tragedies at the hands lution calling for inter- of the Israeli military. national human rights On March 16, Rachel, monitors in the Occu- 23 years old and in the pied Territories. In spring of her life, died remarks at a U.N. con- when she was crushed ference last year, Hu- by an Israeli bulldozer Cindy Corrie at the U.N., Sept. 4, 2003 waida Arraf stated that while trying to prevent there are only two the demolition of a Pal- stipulations for joining estinian home in Rafah near the Egyptian border. I.S.M.: one must believe in the right to freedom of the On April 5, another U.S. citizen, Brian Avery, 24 Palestinian people based on the relevant United Na- years old, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, was shot tions resolutions and international law; and one in the face by a burst of machine-gun fire from an must agree to use only non-violent, direct action Israeli armored personnel carrier in Jenin. On April methods of resistance. She added, “The strength of 11, Tom Hurndall, 21 years old, from the U.K., was I.S.M. activists is not in arms. Their strength is in the shot in the head as he tried to help two young Pales- truth and justice of the Palestinian cause, and in be- tinian girls to safety. lieving that the Palestinian people deserve equal Rachel, Brian, Tom. All three, members of I.S.M. rights.” All three, tragic victims of the U.S.-Israeli-Palestinian To validate her own life, Rachel had a need to conflict. They join the ranks of those who have died resist the injustices she saw impacting the lives of or been severely injured in the occupation. Like so others. This is what drew her to I.S.M. and to the Oc- many others who have suffered or been lost in both cupied Territories. She went in January to Rafah be- Palestine and Israel, Rachel, Brian, and Tom were cause she believed the world had forsaken this place. The Link Page 4 She became our eyes and ears as she told us about dubbed in Arabic. So I ate breakfast with them and the tanks and bulldozers passing by, about the sat there for a while and just enjoyed being in this homes with tank-shell holes in their walls, and about big puddle of blankets with this family watching the rapidly multiplying Israeli watch towers with what for me seemed like Saturday morning car- snipers lurking along the horizon. toons.” She told us about Ali, the eight-year-old Palestin- Eyewitnesses tell us that the bulldozer began a ian boy shot and killed two days before she arrived, straight run at this house.