Rachel Corrie Memorial in Rafah, Gaza. Photo by Jeff Bright.

On Sunday 19th March, We travelled to Rafah area of Gaza to remember Rachel , whose 9th Anniversary fell on March 16th. Rachel was a 23-year-old American peace activist from Olympia, Washington, who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer on 16 March 2003, while undertaking nonviolent direct action to protect the home of a Palestinian family from demolition. We first attended an olive planting ceremony attended by Palestinian schoolchildren and organised by the Ministry of Sport and Youth. A speech was read by Nathan, on behalf of the International Solidarity Movement which included excerpts from Rachel’s letters home in which she portrayed her admiration and love of the Palestinian people. The school children sang song’s and held up posters of Rachel and messages of solidarity.

» Click here to see photos by Jeff Bright from the event…

In the afternoon, we went to the Rachel Corrie Children’s Centre, also in Rafah.

After Rachel’s untimely death in March 2003, the Union of Health Work Committees named their clinic and children’s center after her. The Children’s Center is dedicated to building relationships between the isolated children and youth in Rafah and their peers in other countries.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2011

Craig and Cindy Corrie, the parents of peace activist Rachel Corrie, will hold a press conference tomorrow, Monday, July 11, at 11:00 at the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem to discuss the conclusion of testimonies in their civil case against the State of Israel for their daughter’s killing, as well as next steps in their efforts to seek accountability. They will be joined by Rachel’s sister, Sarah Corrie Simpson, and Attorney Hussein Abu Hussein.

Corrie Family and Legal Team to Hold Press Conference Monday, July 11, at American Colony Hotel, Jerusalem

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2011

(Haifa, Israel – July 7, 2011) – Former Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade Commander, Colonel Pinhas (Pinky) Zuaretz – the final witness in the case – is scheduled to testify Sunday, July 10, in the Corrie civil trial against the State of Israel.

Colonel Zuaretz was the commanding officer of the Israeli military’s Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade in 2003, when American peace activist Rachel Corrie was killed. Troops under his command were responsible for the actions resulting in her killing. Zuaretz is the highest ranking officer called as a government witness in the civil trial who had command responsibility in Gaza. He is possibly the highest such officer ever to face cross examination in a civil suit regarding the actions of the Israeli military against civilians in Gaza during the second intifada. His testimony is expected to shed light on the Israeli military’s failures as an occupying power to protect civilian life and property in the region.

Download this press release: العربية (pdf, 630.19 kB), English (pdf, 554.97 kB), עִבְרִית (pdf, 596.58 kB)

Colonel Pinhas (Pinky) Zuaretz’s Testimony Was, Yet Again, Postponed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2011

(Haifa, Israel – May 24, 2011) – Former IDF spokesperson, Ruth Yaron, took the stand in Haifa, Israel Sunday, May 22, in what was anticipated to be the final hearing in the ongoing civil lawsuit Corrie vs. the State of Israel. However, the appearance of former Gaza Division Southern Brigade Commander Col. Pinhas (Pinky) Zuaretz was, yet again, postponed.

Zuaretz’s testimony was tentatively rescheduled for July 10, 2011, with the State being given 15 days to respond.

Yaron’s testimony focused on the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), in a weak attempt by the State to justify the military’s killing of Rachel by delegitimizing the organization’s mission of resisting the Israeli Occupation of Palestinian lands using only non-violent, direct action, methods. Rachel was an unarmed civilian, non-violently protesting against home demolitions in Rafah, Gaza, when she was killed. Yaron provided no first-hand knowledge of events, and relied heavily on second or third hand sources and hearsay.

Additional information about Yaron’s testimony will be released in the future.

Attending Sunday’s proceedings were two officials from the American Embassy, including US Consul General Andrew Parker, as well as legal and human rights observers from the organizations Advocats Sans Frontières, Al Haq, and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICHAD).

Please visit http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/trial for updates, last minute changes to the court schedule and related information.
For press related inquiries, please contact: Email: press@rachelcorriefoundation.org Phone: Sarah (in Israel) at +972-52-952-2143

Mohammed Omer

Mohammed Omer, award-winning journalist and photographer, will appear in Voice of the Voiceless – Reporting from Gaza, Saturday, February 26, 3 PM, at First Christian Church, 701 Franklin Street SE, in downtown Olympia. He will speak about structural violence in Gaza and report on his recent experience traveling between there and Egypt.

Omer was born and grew up in Rafah refugee camp in Gaza. He maintains the website Rafah Today, is a correspondent for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, and appears in numerous other publications. He holds a degree in International Political Economy and Development. In 2008, Omer became the youngest recipient ever awarded the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. In honoring him, the award committee stated, “Everyday, he reports from a war zone, where he is also a prisoner. He is a profoundly humane witness to one of the great injustices of our time. He is the voice of the voiceless…”

Omer’s home in Rafah was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer while the family was inside, seriously injuring his mother. Yet, upon receiving the Gellhorn Award he wrote, “My ambition was to get the truth out, not as pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli, but as an independent voice and witness.”

Omer’s visit to the Pacific Northwest is co-sponsored by Voices of Palestine, American Friends Service Committee, Mideast Focus Ministry of Saint Mark’s Cathredral, and the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice.