Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, July 2010, Pages 51-52

Human Rights

Craig and Cindy Corrie Meet with Supporters in Iowa

CRAIG AND Cindy Corrie met with family members and supporters in Iowa City on April 20 to discuss the progress of the family's civil lawsuit against the state of Israel for the unlawful killing of their daughter, Rachel, in Rafah, Gaza, in March 2003. The 23-year-old American peace activist from Olympia, WA was crushed to death by an Israeli Caterpillar D9 bulldozer during a nonviolent International Solidarity Movement (ISM) direct action to protect the home of a Palestinian family from demolition.

"We went in March of this year to Israel for the civil trial in Rachel's case," Cindy Corrie said. "We arrived on March 6. The trial was in the Haifa District Court. We were there until March 29. Craig was the last to testify on our side of things. He testified on March 24.

"[On] March 16, which was the seventh anniversary of Rachel's killing, we were in Ramallah when a street was named for Rachel, which I have to say was more moving to me than I had anticipated," Corrie added.

Describing the family's preparations for the 18-day visit to Israel and the trial as "immense," she said the couple was accompanied by their daughter, Sarah, and several members of the legal team.

"We thought the whole thing would unfold during this period in March," Corrie explained, "but about a week before we left we got word from our attorney that the judge had granted a motion by the state of Israel to allow the government to name its witnesses and submit its affidavits 30 days after our last witness testified."

Corrie said the family was shocked by the ruling, which differs from American legal practice, and considered appealing the decision, but attorneys advised against it—reasoning that, although the decision was unconventional, an appeal would be time-consuming and probably unsuccessful.

Time has been an issue in the legal action from the outset. The family is seeking the "thorough, credible, and transparent investigation" that then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon promised then-President George Bush shortly after Rachel's death.

Corrie noted that high-level State Department officials have said, written, and testified before members of Congress that the Israeli investigation of Rachel's killing has not been thorough, credible, or transparent.

Corrie said she feels that the family's legal team—which has brought to light irregularities in the Israeli investigation of the killing, and in the autopsy performed by Dr. Yehuda Hiss—is doing a good job.

A press release issued by the Rachel Corrie Foundation reported that an Israeli military police investigator testified on March 22 that his interview of a military reservist, Edward Valermov, who was in the bulldozer, was interrupted by an officer of the unit involved in Rachel's killing.

According to an April 7 article in Britain's Independent, "At 18:12 reserve Colonel Baruch Kirhatu entered the room and informed the witness that he should not convey anything and should not write anything and this at the order of the general of southern command," according to an affidavit submitted in evidence.

The statement appears to implicate Israel's Gaza commander at the time, Major-General Doron Almog, in an attempt to obstruct the official investigation of Rachel Corrie's death. The military police investigator testified that he considered the actions an intervention into the investigation.

Almog, who has since retired from military service, has denied that he attempted to interfere with the investigation, which would be a criminal act under Israeli law. Craig Corrie described the alleged intervention that halted Valermov's testimony during the investigation as "outrageous," according to The Independent.

In Iowa City, Craig Corrie explained that, under pressure, the family agreed to an autopsy on the conditions that it not be performed by a military doctor and that a representative of the U.S. government be present.

In testimony on March 14, Hiss, former head of the Israel Forensic Institute, admitted that he had violated an Israeli court order requiring that an official from the U.S. Embassy be present during the autopsy, and disclosed for the first time that he had kept tissues from Rachel's body without informing the family. In the past, Hiss has been the subject of legal action brought by Israeli families to whom he failed to return body parts and tissue samples.

"It's all very disturbing," said Cindy Corrie. "They kept tissues from almost every organ in Rachel's body without telling us...So now we are in a process of trying to bring whatever remains are in Israel back to the United States."

Corrie noted that the courtroom in Haifa was filled with local and international reporters and human rights observers. Also attending the trial were three representatives of the U.S. Embassy, including Consul General Andrew Parker.

During the trial, the Corrie family met with Parker and senior members of Vice President Joseph Biden's staff in Jerusalem. Biden's adviser on national security, Antony Blinken, reconfirmed the U.S. government's position that there has not been a thorough, credible, and transparent investigation, and reiterated the U.S. government's endorsement of the family's pursuit of justice for Rachel through the Israeli court system, said Corrie.

Craig Corrie noted that several ISM members who witnessed Rachel's killing, and whom the family called as witnesses in court, had been banned by the Israeli government from traveling to Israel. At the request of the U.S. Embassy, and probably in part because of press coverage in Israel, the government relented and allowed the ISM members to travel to Israel for the trial.

"There was a concerted effort to help us in Israel...There was a lot of media attention in Israel, which was really helpful," Corrie said.

This reporter asked Corrie if he felt the court would make a good faith effort to get at the truth. "I think the court in Israel is capable of rendering justice in this case," he replied.

The trial is tentatively scheduled to resume in September.

—Michael Gillespie