My daughter Rachel Corrie brought me to the Palestinian/Israeli issue. Ours was a family and community that generally thought about the world and its inhabitants in a loving, curious way. We connected, as comfortable Americans do, through following and discussing the news, attending events, and making donations to support those in third world countries—but there was never any intention of sacrifice. In 2003, Rachel travelled to Gaza to join the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a group of Palestinian and international activists who use non-violent, direct-action methods to confront the Israeli occupation. Why did she go? Rachel was motivated by her family and community experiences, by her questions about US foreign policy that arose after 9/11 shattering our nation’s sense of security and self-satisfaction, and simply by whom she was as a human being.

Farihan prepares traditional Arab treats for a bake sale fund-raiser. Photo courtesy of Assad Bushnaq

Come experience a slice of Arab culture at Olympia’s first ever Arab Festival on October 6, 2012. You will meet Arabs and Arab-Americans living in our community and have a day to experience music, dancing, food, and stories from the diverse countries and cultures of the Middle East.

For years, Palestinian-American and Olympian Farihan Bushnaq attended and enjoyed the biennial Arab Festival at Seattle Center. She loved the entertainment, information, and food from the various Middle Eastern countries and, also, the chance to socialize with others who shared her Arab background. After retiring from her nursing job, Farihan asked herself, “Why not bring this experience to my community in Olympia?” She approached us at the Rachel Corrie Foundation for help, knowing our history of working for peace and human rights in the Middle East. We were enthusiastic and decided to make our 2012 annual Peace Works event a launch of Olympia’s first Arab Festival.

On November 30, our family’s attorney Hussein abu Hussein submitted his written summation of our civil lawsuit against the Israeli military for Rachel’s killing. The first testimony of the suit (originally filed March 15, 2005) was heard in Haifa District Court on March 10, 2010, and the last on July 10, 2011. State attorneys will now have three months to file their summation, followed by two weeks for a reply from our side. We expect a verdict in the spring of 2012.

It has, at times, been hard to listen to testimony from the Israeli military. While soldiers on the scene have testified that they recognized Rachel and her ISM friends as non-violent demonstrators, their superior officers stated under oath that there are no civilians in war and that the military is at war with everyone in Gaza. After Rachel was killed, the Deputy Battalion Commander reflected in the day’s operations log that orders were to “shoot to kill” anyone in the border area between Gaza and Egypt. His Brigade Commander later confirmed that order. The DBC testified further that this area was ever-expanding – up to the next row of Palestinian houses in Rafah.

Cindy Corrie speaks at protest outside the National Building Museum in Washington DC. Photo courtesy of Jewish Voice for Peace

The Rachel Corrie Foundation proudly supports the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. BDS seeks to hold Israeli companies, institutions, and their international collaborators accountable for human rights abuses committed against Palestinians under illegal Israeli occupation.
We celebrate several successes within the last year, including the National Building Museum’s cancellation of an award ceremony honoring Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar supplies heavy equipment used to demolish Palestinian homes and infrastructure and is the focus of a long term education and boycott-divestment campaign by RCF, Evergreen State College students seeking to make their campus “Caterpillar free,” and other organizations nationwide. In September, the Corries delivered a petition to the museum – with thousands of signatures and 150 organizational sponsors – to rescind Caterpillar’s award.

As Middle East peoples engage in revolution, Israel’s stranglehold on Gaza continues. In a comprehensive November 2011 report, the Israeli human rights organization Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement concluded that Israel operates in breach of its obligations to Palestinians – especially Gazans – with inappropriate restrictions that control airspace, territorial waters, farmland, fishing areas, the population registry impacting where Palestinians can travel and live, the electric supply, the communications infrastructure, distribution of tax revenue, and movement of goods and people.