Contact:
SJP Media/PR: Shifa Alkhatib
Email: Media.sjpalestine@gmail.com
Tuesday, August 28, 2012-Today, in a Haifa courtroom, an Israeli judge ruled that the State of Israel was not responsible for the horrific death of Rachel Corrie. The Israeli Occupation Forces killed Rachel with a Caterpillar bulldozer in March 2003 while defending a Palestinian home in Gaza.
Rachel Corrie was a twenty-three year old American student at Evergreen State College who traveled to Palestine for her senior thesis. Rachel wanted to meet activists such as her self hoping to learn from them. With this in mind, Rachel traveled to Palestine joining international activists that were dedicated to protesting human rights abuses.
During the ruling, the judge stated that the bulldozer hit Rachel by accident although witnesses maintain that she was wearing a visible orange vest and had a bullhorn in her hand and made her presence known to the driver at the time she was killed. Rachel’s parents sued the Israeli government for only $1 hoping to get justice for Rachel’s death.
Rachel’s lawyer plans to bring an appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court within 45 days. Although justice was not served today, Rachel remains a symbolic figure of resistance and courage for the Palestinian people and all human rights activists across the world.
The Students for Justice in Palestine at ASU remember Rachel Corrie on this day and hope that one day justice will be fairly served.
Take Action!
To “Mark the Verdict,” the Rachel Corrie Foundation is calling upon us to take action in opposition to Israel’s occupation and demolition of Palestinian homes, as well as companies that support and profit from them. SJP is holding a table on Hayden lawn, Friday, August 31th, between 10 AM to 2 PM where supporters can sign a letter calling upon TIAA-CREF, a large investment company, to divest from companies that profit from the conflict, like Caterpillar Inc. SJP will deliver the letters in person to the TIAA-CREF office here in Phoenix.
The Rachel Corrie Foundation has more actions we can take individually on their website, such as taking a picture of yourself with a poster of Rachel Corrie to post on their Tumblr as part of a larger campaign. For more information follow this link: