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'Not One Word of Remorse' from Driver Who Crushed Rachel Corrie
Israeli soldier in bulldozer 'did not see her'
The Israeli soldier at the controls of the bulldozer that crushed the pro-Palestinian activist Rachel Corrie told a court today that the first time he saw her was when fellow protesters were already tending to her dying body in the dirt.
Rachel Corrie's parents, Craig and Cynthia, stand next to a photograph of their daughter at the start of their civil case against the state of Israel earlier this year. (Photograph: Stefan Zaklin/Getty Images) Giving evidence for more than four hours in the civil case brought by Corrie's family against the state of Israel,
the former soldier repeatedly insisted that had not seen the
23-year-old American standing in front of his 66-tonne Caterpillar
bulldozer before she was fatally hit.
"I didn't see her before the incident," he told the court in Haifa. "I saw people pulling the body out from under the earth."
The soldier, named only as YB, gave evidence from behind a screen after a ruling by the judge for "security reasons". A gagging order was imposed on identifying details, although it was disclosed in court that YB is a 38-year-old Russian immigrant who learned Hebrew after arriving in Israel at the age of 23 and now works for a food processing company.
The Corrie family had requested that they be given dispensation to see YB give evidence, which was refused. "I do feel that the state of Israel is saying [we] are security risks and I am affronted by that," Cindy Corrie, Rachel's mother, said after the hearing. "I wanted to be able to see the whole person, not just hear the words."
Rachel Corrie was protesting against the demolition by the Israeli military of Palestinian houses in Gaza when she was crushed to death in March 2003. An internal military investigation concluded that no charges should be brought and the case was closed.
YB, who was in communication with his unit command and a second bulldozer on the scene, told the court that he was told through his headphones that he had hit someone. "I reversed … There was this thought that something wasn't right … It looked like I hit someone. I didn't understand what had happened."
In evidence that frequently contradicted his own earlier affidavits, YB said he reversed the bulldozer 25-30 metres. "After I reversed I saw they took out a body." He was "absolutely certain" Corrie's body was between the bulldozer and a mound of earth he had been ordered to flatten, contradicting earlier evidence given by two other military witnesses.
Asked if anyone from his unit went to the aid of the fatally injured protester, YB said: "No, we weren't allowed to leave [the vehicle]." Asked why he didn't call a military ambulance over his radio, he said: "That's not my level of command."
He recalled being warned that morning that there were civilian protesters in the area, and some might be armed. "Did you see any of them armed?" asked Hussein Abu Hussein, the family's lawyer. "I can't answer that, I don't remember," said YB.
Later Abu Hussein asked: "Did they carry anything that made them look like terrorists?" YB said: "They carried a loudspeaker and a sign."
"Did you suspect they were dangerous?" YB said: "I suspect everyone."
YB had offered no explanations, said Abu Hussein. "You continued driving forward, you pushed the dirt and you buried her. You didn't see anyone. You have no explanation of how [Corrie] was killed."
After the hearing, the lawyer told reporters: "The more we hear the more the impression is that someone tried to whitewash what happened."
Cindy Corrie said she was "glad to get this day behind me". Although the driver was a key witness, she said, "my sense is that there are other people on the ground and in the rear who also have responsibility and were giving orders, and allowed these things to happen to Rachel and continue to happen".
She had brought the book of her daughter's writing to court, she said. "I wanted to keep Rachel's humility and compassion for everyone in my heart today, but it was very hard as I did not hear one word of remorse from this witness today. That saddens me."
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Show AllHaving read the posts I would like to point out that the Jew is a human being. What the Jew is capable of so are those who point fingers at him. In my previous post I used the word idiot to describe the possible majority of US citizens and their Western supporters. They too are human beings just like the Jews who support Israel.
We need to understand that we are all animal or dedicated to self and greed. It is the base reality of human existence. This is a recognition held in the word idiot as used by the Greeks at its source. Idiot expresses the base reality of humanity, that which we all have in common: dog eat dog if you wish.
Nevertheless, compassion and generosity (or love if we wish) are not idiotic, yet all humans are capable of compassion and generosity. This means that all humans can rise above dog eat dog. It is this that makes us fully human. Those who cannot or refuse to do so are deservedly called idiots by their brothers, for they are worse than dogs in that they deny their better potential.
The Jews are not the only ones who do this now. Largely speaking the people of the USA are doing so now and have been for some time under cover of the story that Amy and Rachel wisely if foolishly believed in.
"all humans can rise above dog eat dog"
But most don't. And therein lie the seeds of our destruction.
"The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second." John Steinbeck
In ancient Greece, an 'idiot' was a male private citizen-not a slave-who did not qualify to vote (because he didn't have enough property). A kind of 'grunt', if you will, who made up the bulk of the Greek working class and populated the army. Our meaning-'very stupid' came much later.Maybe somebody will come along and correct me.
I am probably not the only one thinking Israelis are perhaps culturally or even genetically incapable of anything vaguely resembling remorse.
The Israeli soldier who crushed Rachel Corrie is certainly incapable of remorse, but if you really believe that Israelis in general are "cuturally or even genetically incapable of anything vaguely resembling remorse", then calling you an idiot is too kind, and you are no better than the people to whom you claim moral superiority.
Before climbing up on that high horse, perhaps you should look around a bit first.
Hard to tell, George, whether you're referring to me, or to my kind words about the previous poster. If it's me, I fell off that horse years ago.
Yes, now are we finally finding out what happens to a people who survived the holocaust? Are they become the Nazis?
The Nazis are a hard act to follow:they were responsible for the deaths of many millions in Europe, including those who died in the Holocaust.I guess the answer to your question is yes, some of them, some of the time, have become like the Nazis, but on a small scale, of which Hitler would not be proud.For instance, the seige of Gaza is often compared to the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto. It's a false comparison. To truly be comparable, the Israeli miltary would have had to burn it, and every living thing in it, to cinders.They're not likely to do that, either.Maybe we can call them "Nazi Lite."
There are many, many Israelis who oppose the policies of their government. You don't hear about them here, but it is a significant movement in Israel, including refusenik IDF soldiers.
These are all Israeli organizations:
http://www.whywerefuse.org
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/index_en.html
http://www.icahd.org
http://www.btselem.org/English
There are many more.
Thank you for posting this,'Actually'.This is a point that can't be made too often.
I would hesitate to include all Israelis. Try Uri Avnery or Amira Haas or Gideon Levy,etc.
there are about 50 of them who oppose the israeli policies.
Better to be Rachel Corrie and die before your time than to sell your soul and live with what awaits you.
What a lying POS.
The Zionist press in Amerika will NEVER allow an investigation of 911 or criticism of Israel. One false flag covers the crimes of both terrorist countries.
"Naturally October 21st, 2010 3:40 pm
He was "just following orders," right? Where have we heard that before?"
From a thousand US and British.. ET AL.. soldiers.
~sc
"clovis October 21st, 2010 3:43 pm
A nation of psychopaths. Just like us."
Indeed.
~sc
'ricardohead October 21st, 2010 10:43 pm
The Nazis are a hard act to follow:they were responsible for the deaths of many millions in Europe, including those who died in the Holocaust."
Yes, they are.. Hitler wrote a letter to the head of the American Eugenics scientists at the time.. agreeing with their sentiments, and thanking them for enlightening him in ways he could do his deadly regarding the jews and gypsies and
'retards' and others work.
See we KEEP getting bitten... as the saying goes : 'Hung by our own petard'.
~sc
"Demonstorm October 21st, 2010 8:02 pm
Now this is the ultimate irony. The murdering Israeli Zionist Jews have become good little Nazi Germans. Just following orders. I see nothing, hear nothing."
Just like our boys...
And, it is unwise, and plain irrational to speak of Jews as if they were all Zionists.... which of course they are most certainly not.. more anti-Zionist than you, in fact..
We think of the Christian Crusades... which the Grand Mufti (via the Christian Science Monitor).. warned Bush not to mention the word 'Crusade'again... which brought back terrible memories of the viciousness of those Crusades.
~sc
A Radical Note
I do not believe Jews are more anti-Zionist than non Jews. If they were they would long ago have stopped the Israeli Zionists or renounced and inveighed against Judaism itself, for Judaism is now evidently dominated by Zionists.
Like it or not, the past 50 yrs or so show clearly that Jews are responsible for the current neo-Israel absurdity, just as Christian, WASP, or even gentile US citizens presently are for the less than human behaviour of the USA.
The same applies with regard to Islam, but then there indubitably are extenuating circumstances.
Whatever these circumstances, monotheist cultures are deep in shit right now, and a jolly good thing too. What an obviously childish lot to think they can own God!
We must get rid of them all. Drown the bastards in the sewage of their minds.
Actually they are doing it for us.
Just stand clear. Make plans to keep them away and negate their influence. They are the problem.
"I can't think why these people think THEY are sacrosanct in a land full of suffering and dying of that land's own people. They are doing things which cause trouble IN that land... while having the mistaken feeling they are being 'altruistic'... 'doing good for the sake of goodness itself'.... not so, they receive the reward from the pleasurable sensations they receive WHILST 'doing good'.. they are NOT doing good in a land where the people are suffering, dying, in innner conflicts...A single person, a foreignor, cannot help them.. can only stir up trouble, as shown.
~sc
replyreport this commentJeanmarieSimpson October 21st, 2010 5:39 pm
So she had it coming? She was asking for it?
"
Yes, of course.. doing that in her OWN land is quite a different thing.... going some place else and lying down in front of machinery of that land, which machinery is trying to quell trouble IN their land... is asking for trouble.. she is not a hero to THEM....
PROTEST AT HOME.. not in some other land who DON'T WANT you causing trouble in their land.. .IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DIE IN A FOREIGN LAND, CAUSING TROUBLE.. do neither.
(I wonder what America or any other land would do to someone from another land thinking they were 'special' and would NEVER dared to be harmed.. lying down in front of America (et al) and (note this word) INTERFERING.
Try to think outside your own box....
~sc
Dear stardust.....
"All kinds of people need to show up in this country....a single person CAN change the world."
Mandela used the utmost of 'dire deeds' to bring about what he did bring about.... from a rogue, a murderer, a freedom-fighter, he changed things in his OWN country..and with allies around him IN HIS OWN country....
A single person, with no power but to disrupt, is not the same kind of thing. She was not a part of the country she was protesting in... She angers the people of the country. She is 'nothing' to them..
One of their OWN doing what she did is QUITE a different thing.
She was not 'charmed' so that no-one would hurt her for protesting. She asked for trouble and got it.... she would have done far better (but not have been noticed 'especially) protesting in her OWN country about what she was protesting about in other people's country.
We really have to try to see things from 'their' (anyone but our own) perspective.
She MEANT well, it was very exciting being a heroine in front of a lot of people..... And thought she would be safe enough, making a 'lie-in' in front of the cameras, in front of the machine...
I just don't go on other people from other lands 'interfering'. We do it all too often.
~sc
Israel was the staunchest supporter of the apartheid regime until the very last minute.
Israelis found a kindred spirit in the apahrtheid regime.
"echoes October 21st, 2010 5:55 pm
Should we have said in DONT GO TO GERMANY in WW2? Don't stop apartheid in Africa?"
Do you know that Germany declared war on America?..What on Earth are YOU talking about?.... We HAD to 'go to Germany.. it was attacking us... it was bombing our cities, laying waste to Holland and Belgium and France... and ENGLAND.
I just can't handle some of this irrationality....
And it was MANDELA who 'stopped' apartheid in Africa.. not 'us'..now it needs to be stopped tin America and other 'white' lands.
~sc
America : 60 billion dollars of weapons and planes to go to Saudi Arabia to keep Iran 'in order'.
Of the 17 hi-jackers who allegedly 'demolished' the twin towers... FIFTEEN of them were Saudies....
~sc
raine, it was the attack at Pearl Harbor that hurled the US into WW2, Europeans were fighting before. Since then the US military has become gigantic and this is what Israelis use as their own bodyguard after years of manipulation of our government, media and culture.
Manipulation of culture, how else can you explain the phenomena of American support for
a group funded 3-5 billion dollars in military weapons and technology EACH YEAR for the past
62 years! This group propounds to be of one religion and one supposed race, (by the way that is the definition of racist) NOT A DEMOCRACY.
Without this type of support Israel would not be the rich little zionist vacation haven for Jewish-Americans it is today.
How else can you explain the phenomena that Rachel Corrie saw and most of the rest of the world sees that Palestinians live in Palestine and have for hundreds if not thousands of years.
They have been squeezed into a small area, denied medical aid, food aid, or the right to travel or rights of any kind. Then in Dec. 2009 they are bombed, burned and mangled with white phosphorus, their schools and hospitals, airports all bombed. Their family members systematically murdered or kidnapped and treated in the most inhumane disgusting ways.
And an American girls goes over there to try to help and she is murdered. The American government would not lift a finger if her parents did not bring charges. The American Navy men that survived the bombing by Israeli planes (probably American made)
were told to keep quite when there crew members where killed. How else do you explain this phenomena?
Don't think for a minute the Israeli and American interests are one and the same. They are not interested in our safety at all. They are only interested in themselves and what they can use. They have used the US for 60 years and continue at ever increasing pace to get what they want.
Remember it was an American who was killed in International waters on the Mavi Marmara Flotilla.
2008 Israeli attack on Gaza
echoes.. World War 2.. Pearl Harbour (fortunately for many of the allies, including america, but shockingly unfortunate for those who had to die there).... was what forced Germany to declare war on America. And america was then free to come to the aid of Europe.. as against allowing Hitler to take it.
From your post it would seem you have forgotten about our
bombing the defenceless Falujah and Najah with W.P. and the DU we spread on Iraqi land? Have you forgotten about Abu Ghraib and the 'most disgusting and inhumane' treatement we handed out to the Iraqis, (no charges laid).
I believe that any single person who rushes over to Palestine and lays down in front of a machine to be run over was counter-productive - we all know what is happening in Palestine -(did she think she was too precious to actually be RUN OVER in this foreign land?)
She would have been more the 'heroine' to protest IN HER OWN LAND about what was happening in PALISTINE... Got a movement behind her... got some muscle.... pleaded for Palistine's case... IN HER OWN COUNTRY... Where she might have been able to influence her leaders and the people in ways she thought they should be influenced.
~sc
"James Edwards October 22nd, 2010 5:25 am
A Radical Note
I do not believe Jews are more anti-Zionist than non Jews. "
You don't?????
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
http://www.nkusa.org/activities/speeches/nyc041202.cfm
"Jews denounce Zionism
With God’s help may the words that we speak here today sanctify God’s name and may it bring peace and brotherhood amongst His creations.
A – salaam aleikum
There are some people who may ask, why a Jew is speaking at this Palestinian demonstration?
But in truth, the question should be totally different. The question should be, how is it that the Jewish people, which have been known as a compassionate, God fearing, peaceful peope and have lived side by side for over a thousand years, in peace and brotherhood with their Arab and Muslim cousins, how is it possible that this Jewish nation, can be one and the same as this Zionist state, this Israeli state and its arrogant militia, with their flag unfurled with a Star of David at its center?
This question, thank God, I am humbly able to answer.
The answer is, my friends, that your question is really the answer.
What you are seeing today, as representative of Judaism is truly the antithesis of Judaism.
Not only is Zionism not one and the same with Judaism, but on the contrary, Zionism is the true nemesis of Judaism. The transformation of Godliness into a work of Satan. "
I repeat.. Jews want nothing to do with Zionism.. It is there for you or others to get the facts right.. .denouncing all jews is NOT the way to go.... They are DOING what 'you' said they 'should'....
There are pages, sources, you can leaf through... just have to take a little time.
~sc
She was precious and so is human life. The name is Palestine and the history sticks. You sound like a nice person though.
I never voted for Bush don't get me started there.
Americans did not know about the torture until the leak, of course Guantanamo prison should never have been allowed to be built, the ACLU has been working for justice and other groups that have been marginalized like Cindy Sheehan who lost her son to war, and the pink coalition of women against war. We want an end to war. I knew the day after the firing of the reporter that came on to MSM and said We Must Not Go to War right after the trade centers fell that the US was into a fierce amount of trouble. It was shocking the free fall of our rights, human rights and prisoner torture against Geneva conventions that has proceeded that day. If they had listened to the man on the TV instead of firing him it did not need to happen this way.
I am not going to blog here anymore .
"Justice Arcs October 21st, 2010 5:36 pm
The Barbary coast pirates of 200 years ago, from which the word "barbarian" is founded, on their very worse days NEVER got to the position of being an official gov't with such soulless disregard for life."
Wrong?... tsk... however, not all that wrong :
"DC-CPH October 21st, 2010 5:47 pm
It's possible that in the future, the word "Israeli" will be used the way that we now use the term "barbarian."
Yes, very possible and most will know just what we mean when we do.
~sc
"toubibcal October 22nd, 2010 12:50 am
The Zionist press in Amerika will NEVER allow an investigation of 911 or criticism of Israel. One false flag covers the crimes of both terrorist countries"
Or Pearl Harbour.
`sc
Jeez.. I don't seem to be spelling 'Palestine' very well.. at times! Never mind.
What I would try to say, further, about Rachel Corrie is this : If that driver had seen her, and run over her because he had no qualms about running her down if she attempted to stop his machine in his own land.. under orders... He may very, very well, have had far more qualms about running one of his OWN down... had more sympathy for his 'brother' than for some stranger trying to show the world how she could be a joan of arc and 'save the day'...
I admire Cindy Sheehan.. she lost her child.. what more incentive could she have needed to make her struggle her 'life's work'... at home, where it would count.
~sc
"echoes October 22nd, 2010 9:46 pm
Americans did not know about the torture until the leak, of course Guantanamo prison should never have been allowed to be built, the ACLU has been working for justice and other groups that have been marginalized like Cindy Sheehan who lost her son to war, and the pink coalition of women against war. We want an end to war. I knew the day after the firing of the reporter that came on to MSM and said We Must Not Go to War right after the trade centers fell that the US was into a fierce amount of trouble. It was shocking the free fall of our rights, human rights and prisoner torture against Geneva conventions that has proceeded that day. If they had listened to the man on the TV instead of firing him it did not need to happen this way.
I am not going to blog here anymore .
"
this is a good post, echoes.... I hope you do return. '
~sc