– Family to Hold Press Conference in Haifa
(Haifa, Israel – August 21, 2012) – The verdict in the civil
lawsuit against the State of Israel for the killing of peace activist
Rachel Corrie over nine years ago will be announced August 28, 2012, at
9:00 a.m. at the Haifa District Court.
Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old American from Olympia, Washington, was
crushed to death March 16, 2003, by an Israeli military Caterpillar D9-R
bulldozer while nonviolently protesting demolition of Palestinian
civilian homes in Rafah, Gaza.
The lawsuit, filed in 2005 on behalf of the Corrie family by attorney
Hussein abu Hussein, charges the State of Israel with responsibility
for Rachel’s killing and failure to conduct a full and credible
investigation in the case.
“The lawsuit is just a small step in our family’s nearly decade-long
search for truth and justice,” said Craig Corrie, Rachel’s father. “The
mounting evidence presented before the court underscores a broken system
of accountability – tolerated by the United States in spite of its
conclusions that Israel’s military investigation was not ‘thorough,
credible, or transparent.’”
Rachel Corrie protests Israeli policy of home demolitions in Rafah, Gaza, several hours prior to her killing - March 16, 2003
Oral testimony in the case began March 10, 2010. There have been 15
court hearings since with 23 witnesses testifying. The trial has exposed
serious chain-of-command failures in relation to civilian killings and
indiscriminate destruction of civilian property at the hands of the
Israeli military in southern Gaza.
“This trial is an attempt to hold accountable not only those who
failed to protect Rachel’s life but also the flawed system of military
investigations which is neither impartial nor thorough,” said Hussein
abu Hussein, the family’s attorney. “Under international law, Israel is
obligated to take all feasible precautions to spare civilians from the
dangers of military operations. The Israeli military flagrantly violated
this principle in the killing of Rachel Corrie and it must be held
accountable.”
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