SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
(Photo: Robert Shetterly/Americans Who Tell the Truth)
The family of Rachel Corrie--the 23-year-old U.S. activist crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer while nonviolently protesting a home demolition in Palestine 12 years ago--was denied justice by Israel's top court on Thursday.
The rejection is the latest stage in the family's decade-long legal battle to hold Israel liable for Corrie's death, on charges that the military either killed her deliberately or was negligent.
Corrie, who hailed from Olympia, Washington, had been volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement for two months in Gaza when she was run over and killed by Israeli forces near the Rafah crossing in 2003. Her death sparked international outrage at Israeli human rights abuses, as well as accolades for Corrie's life and legacy.
Since her killing, Corrie's parents--Cindy and Craig--have continued their daughter's work for global justice.
However, they have so far not seen justice in Israel's courts.
Corrie's family first filed a wrongful death civil suit in 2005. In 2012, Judge Oded Gershon of the Haifa district court sided with the military and charged that Corrie was responsible for her own death. "She did not move away as any reasonable person would have done," ruled Gershon. "But she chose to endanger herself."
This dismissal garnered widespread condemnation, including from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, who slammed the probe into the killing of Corrie as unsatisfactory.
On Thursday, Israel's supreme court rejected the Corrie family's appeal of the 2012 ruling.
"Our family is disappointed but not surprised," the Corrie family said in a statement released on Thursday. "Nevertheless, it is clear that this decision, affirming the August 2012 lower court finding, amounts to judicial sanction of immunity for Israeli military forces when they commit injustices and human rights violations."
"Rachel's case provides yet another example of how the Israeli justice system is failing to provide accountability," the statement continues. "We urge the international community, and not least the U.S. government, to stand with victims of human rights violations and against impunity, and to uphold fundamental tenets of international justice."
The court has determined, however, that a separate case filed by Corrie's family, which charges that her remains and autopsy were mishandled, may proceed through a lower court.
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
The family of Rachel Corrie--the 23-year-old U.S. activist crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer while nonviolently protesting a home demolition in Palestine 12 years ago--was denied justice by Israel's top court on Thursday.
The rejection is the latest stage in the family's decade-long legal battle to hold Israel liable for Corrie's death, on charges that the military either killed her deliberately or was negligent.
Corrie, who hailed from Olympia, Washington, had been volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement for two months in Gaza when she was run over and killed by Israeli forces near the Rafah crossing in 2003. Her death sparked international outrage at Israeli human rights abuses, as well as accolades for Corrie's life and legacy.
Since her killing, Corrie's parents--Cindy and Craig--have continued their daughter's work for global justice.
However, they have so far not seen justice in Israel's courts.
Corrie's family first filed a wrongful death civil suit in 2005. In 2012, Judge Oded Gershon of the Haifa district court sided with the military and charged that Corrie was responsible for her own death. "She did not move away as any reasonable person would have done," ruled Gershon. "But she chose to endanger herself."
This dismissal garnered widespread condemnation, including from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, who slammed the probe into the killing of Corrie as unsatisfactory.
On Thursday, Israel's supreme court rejected the Corrie family's appeal of the 2012 ruling.
"Our family is disappointed but not surprised," the Corrie family said in a statement released on Thursday. "Nevertheless, it is clear that this decision, affirming the August 2012 lower court finding, amounts to judicial sanction of immunity for Israeli military forces when they commit injustices and human rights violations."
"Rachel's case provides yet another example of how the Israeli justice system is failing to provide accountability," the statement continues. "We urge the international community, and not least the U.S. government, to stand with victims of human rights violations and against impunity, and to uphold fundamental tenets of international justice."
The court has determined, however, that a separate case filed by Corrie's family, which charges that her remains and autopsy were mishandled, may proceed through a lower court.
The family of Rachel Corrie--the 23-year-old U.S. activist crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer while nonviolently protesting a home demolition in Palestine 12 years ago--was denied justice by Israel's top court on Thursday.
The rejection is the latest stage in the family's decade-long legal battle to hold Israel liable for Corrie's death, on charges that the military either killed her deliberately or was negligent.
Corrie, who hailed from Olympia, Washington, had been volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement for two months in Gaza when she was run over and killed by Israeli forces near the Rafah crossing in 2003. Her death sparked international outrage at Israeli human rights abuses, as well as accolades for Corrie's life and legacy.
Since her killing, Corrie's parents--Cindy and Craig--have continued their daughter's work for global justice.
However, they have so far not seen justice in Israel's courts.
Corrie's family first filed a wrongful death civil suit in 2005. In 2012, Judge Oded Gershon of the Haifa district court sided with the military and charged that Corrie was responsible for her own death. "She did not move away as any reasonable person would have done," ruled Gershon. "But she chose to endanger herself."
This dismissal garnered widespread condemnation, including from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, who slammed the probe into the killing of Corrie as unsatisfactory.
On Thursday, Israel's supreme court rejected the Corrie family's appeal of the 2012 ruling.
"Our family is disappointed but not surprised," the Corrie family said in a statement released on Thursday. "Nevertheless, it is clear that this decision, affirming the August 2012 lower court finding, amounts to judicial sanction of immunity for Israeli military forces when they commit injustices and human rights violations."
"Rachel's case provides yet another example of how the Israeli justice system is failing to provide accountability," the statement continues. "We urge the international community, and not least the U.S. government, to stand with victims of human rights violations and against impunity, and to uphold fundamental tenets of international justice."
The court has determined, however, that a separate case filed by Corrie's family, which charges that her remains and autopsy were mishandled, may proceed through a lower court.