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Add an EventEvergreen Student Activist Killed by Israeli Occupation Forces in Gaza
Olympia activist Rachel Corrie, in Gaza as part of international protests against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, was run over by an Israeli bulldozer in the Rafah refugee camp. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died. Corrie was part of a group of seven International Solidarity Movement activists attempting to stop Israeli forces from bulldozing Palestinian homes. . While many Palestinians are killed by occupation forces every week, Corrie is the first international working with the ISM to have been killed during the conflict.
In recent weeks, ISM activists have focused on activities in Rafah, described as a "hot spot" in Gaza as occupation forces have adopted a strategy of pressuring residents by destroying municipal wells, as well as bulldizing houses along the outskirts of the community. On March 1, Corrie explained the activists' intention in a detailed report: " Much of the destruction occurs at night. Many of the streets of Rafah are impassable in the dark due to sniper towers positioned along the perimeters of Rafah. In the dark, internationals attempting to carry out non-violent direct action rely on battery-charged lights, banners, and the accuracy of unknown local collaborators to make the Israeli military aware of their location. Another factor in attempting to stop the destruction of a home is a variable factor: the question of whether the driver of a particular tank cares about injuring internationals in the process of destroying the welfare of the Palestinians living here."
Corrie, 23, was a student at Evergreen State College, where she worked with the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, opposing the Bush administration's plans for war in Iraq and the Palestinian occupation.
16-03-2003, 16:49
An American woman peace protester was killed Sunday by an Israeli bulldozer, which ran her over during the demolition of a house at the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. Another activist was wounded in the incident.
Rachel Corey, 23, from Olympia, Washington, was killed when she ran in front of the bulldozer to try to prevent it from destroying a house, doctors in Gaza said.
"Corey was killed in the al-Salam neighbourhood when an Israeli bulldozer covered her with sand as she stood in front of a bulldozer," said Dr Ali Musa, a doctor from the al-Najar hospital in the southern Gaza Strip. He said she died from skull and chest fractures.
Greg Schnabel, 28, from Chicago, said the protesters were in the house of Dr. Samir Masri.
"Rachel was alone in front of the house as we were trying to get them to stop," he said. "She waved for bulldozer to stop and waved. She fell down and the bulldozer kept going. We yelled 'stop, stop,' and the bulldozer didn't stop at all. It had completely run over her and then it reversed and ran back over her."
Corey was the first member of groups, called "International Solidarity Movement," to be killed in the Palestinian areas. Schnabel said Corey was a student at Evergreen College and was to graduate this year.
He said there were eight protesters at the site, four from the United States and four from Great Britain. "We stay with families whose house is to be demolished," he told the Associated Press by telephone from Rafah after the incident.
Meanwhile, with the Jewish holiday of Purim drawing closer, Israel imposed a full curfew on the Palestinian territories on Sunday.
The curfew came into effect midnight Saturday, and will remain in force until after Tuesday's festivities.
Israeli military sources told the press that the decision to impose a curfew was taken in light of several warnings received by the security establishment about imminent bombing attacks. No Palestinians will be allowed to enter Israel.
Israel often imposes full curfews on the Palestinian residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip during Jewish holidays. (Albawaba.com)
"This is a regrettable accident," he said. "We are dealing with a group of protesters who were acting very irresponsibly, putting everyone in danger."
....
And how about the way you and your army are acting, Captain Dallal? It's Zionist warmongers like YOU who are putting the lives of Palestinians and Americans at risk, YOU who are behaving "regrettably," YOU who are acting "very irresponsibly."
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