March 16, 2003; around 2:30 pm…
With a megaphone on one hand and an orange jacket on the other, Rachel Corrie rushed to put her life at stake to stop a bulldozer that was moving towards her. The Israeli bulldozer was about to destroy some houses on the As-Salam neighbourhood in the Gaza strip town of Rafah.
Corrie was crushed to death.
“I did not see her.”, “We warned her.”… No matter what their excuse, eyewitnesses saw the driver run-over Corrie with the bulldozer. Some people yelled at the driver to stop, but it still continued.[i]
She was a martyr, to the Palestinian people, to those who believed in the same cause as she, and to her loved ones.
As I read more about her, it seems like the blame doesn’t fall upon the driver. Most articles I’ve read lay the blame on her and her over-enthusiasm to protect the Palestinians.
Rachel Aliene Corrie was born in Olympia, Washington in USA on April 10, 1979. The youngest of three siblings, Corrie started her mission to help others at the fresh age of 10. “I’m here because I care.” [ii] she said in her speech when she was in 5th Grade.
True to her words, Corrie became a member of the International Solidarity Movement, an organization focused on assisting the Palestinian cause in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Rachel died while trying to stop the Israeli bulldozer from flattening the house of her friend, a pharmacist, and his family, and the other houses in the neighbourhood. That neighbourhood, though a war-zone, was home for many families, not to mention children.
Her name shan’t be forgotten by those who believe in justice for Palestine and her cause shall continue till the truth comes out.
