On March 16th, 2007, the weekly protests by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) members and Women in Black, were joined by kindred souls remembering Rachel Corrie 4 years after her killing in Rafah, Palestine by a Caterpillar D9 Bulldozer. Rachel was defending a Palestinian home threatened with destruction when the crew of the American made IDF (Israel Defense Forces) bulldozer maneuvered the massive vehicle into her path. Most members of the Nasrallah family, whom at the time consisted of 4 adults and 5 children were in the home and some watched the bulldozer run over Rachel through a crack in the garden wall. There were 7 international eyewitnesses to Rachel’s killing from the U.K. and U.S.A. Since Caterpillar corporation has been on notice that their equipment is used for ongoing human rights violations in Palestine, breaking international and US law, supporters of the late activist hold CAT complicit in her death.

BACKGROUND
from the Center for Constitutional Rights,
New York

Since its occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip following the 1967 war, Israel has destroyed more than 12,000 Palestinian homes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The practice of home demolitions, forced expulsion and land seizures increased dramatically after the start of the second intifada in September 2000. In the first four years of the second intifada, the IDF used Caterpillar bulldozers to destroy more than 4,000 Palestinian homes, over 2,500 of which were in Gaza, and 1,600 of which were located in Rafah, a 2.5 mile long strip of land along the border of southern Gaza. Offering various rationales for the home demolitions, including the need to create “buffer zones” in the OPT, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has in fact engaged in a broad-reaching program of collective punishment. Through home demolitions, “demographic engineering” is underway: Palestinian populations are forced to move from areas deemed strategic or of interest to Israel, and displaced from the agricultural land where they and their ancestors have lived and off of which they have made their livelihoods. The IDF continues to demolish homes in proximity to the wall, and for alleged military and police purposes.

Much of the world community, including the United Nations, the United States, and human rights organizations, has consistently condemned these demolitions. The Security Council has called on Israel not to undertake home demolitions in violation of international humanitarian law (S/Res/1544 (2004)). In addition to forcibly displacing more than 50,000 civilians, home demolitions have injured or killed Palestinian civilians, including Plaintiffs in the case: Corrie, et al., v. Caterpillar, Inc.

2003 Photos Courtesy
Joe Carr

2005 Photos Courtesy
ORSCP Delegation

Original Song By
Elizabeth Hummel

Panelists included James Yee, former Muslim US Army Chaplain, Simona Shironi, Israeli-American professor at The Evergreen State College and Therese Saliba, also a professor at Evergreen. Panelists discussed the current situation in the context of history of the region, what current actions mean to people there, how the US is a key player in the conflict, and what the response of American Muslim groups has been.