Gary Fitleberg, March 23, 2005

Rachel Corrie is a sad solidarity story. One with a tragic ending.

The parents of Rachel Corrie, pro-Arab "Palestinian" activist and member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), are now suing for the stupidity of their daughter and trying to profit for her support of terrorism. Simultaneous lawsuits haven been filed on behalf of a daughter supporting terrorism and terrorists.

A lawsuit was filed in the Haifa District Court with separate claims against the State of Israel, the Israeli Defense Ministry and the Israeli Defense Forces (I DF). The Corries have filed separate claims in Israel against the State of Israel.

The parents are also trying to profit from their daughter’s pursuit of supporting terrorism by suing the parent company, Caterpillar Inc. that manufactures the bulldozers.

The federal lawsuit in the U.S. alleges that Caterpillar violated international and state law by providing specially designed bulldozers to Israeli Defense Forces that it knew would be used to demolish homes and endanger people.

The lawyers for the Corrie Family neglected to sue the manufacturers of the weapons used against targeted killings of Israeli citizens on buses, in cafes and restaurants, in discos, in shopping malls, in universities and even in homes.

Rachel Corrie, a student at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, allege she was standing in front of a home in a refugee camp in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, in March of 2003 when a bulldozer plowed over her.

"The brutal death of my daughter should never have happened," Corrie's mother, Cindy Corrie, said in a statement released by the Center for Constitutional Rights, a law firm handling the case. "We believe Caterpillar and the (Israeli Defense Forces) must be held accountable for their role in the attack."

According to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), and falsely perpetuated by the vast majority of the media, allegedly "Rachel Corrie was murdered by Israel while she was peacefully protesting against the illegal demolition of a Palestinian home."

The ISM, which should be renamed International Supporters of Murder, openly "aids and abets" and supports terrorist organizations such as the Fatah controlled and dominated Palestinian Authority/Palestine Liberation Organization (PA/PLO), its so-called "security forces" (subsidiaries of terror") such as Force 17 and Tanzim as well as the sister organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.

American Rachel Corrie was killed in the Gaza Strip on March 16, 2003, when she entered an area where Israeli forces were carrying out a military operation. The incident tragically and unfortunately occurred while IDF forces were removing shrubbery along the security road near the Philadelphi Route, along the border between Israel and Egypt at Rafah to uncover explosive devices, and destroying tunnels used by Arab "Palestinian" terrorists to illegally smuggle weapons from Egypt to Gaza. The house she was allegedly protecting was a cover for a weapons smuggling tunnel.

Corrie was not demonstrating for peace or trying to shield innocent civilians, she was interfering with a military operation to legally demolish an empty house used to conceal one of these weapons smuggling tunnels.

A misleading photo published by the Associated Press gave the impression that Corrie was standing in front of the bulldozer and shouting at the driver with a megaphone, trying to prevent the driver from tearing down a building in the refugee camp utilized as a cover for a smuggling tunnel for terrorism. This photo, which was taken by a member of Corrie’s organization, was not shot at the time of her death, however, but hours earlier. The photographer said that Corrie was actually sitting and waving her arms when she was struck (Christian Science Monitor, April 02, 2003).

Israel’s Judge Advocate’s Office investigated the incident and concluded that the driver of the bulldozer never saw or heard Corrie because she was standing behind debris that obstructed the view of the driver whose field of view was limited by the small armored windows of his cab. An autopsy found that the cause of Corrie’s death was falling debris (Jerusalem Post, June 26, 2003).

The State Department warned Americans not to travel to Gaza, and Israel made clear that civilians who enter areas where troops are engaged in counter-terror operations put themselves unnecessarily at risk. This was not the first time protestors have tried to obstruct Israeli operations, and the IDF has made every effort to avoid harming them. This case received worldwide publicity in large measure because it was the first such incident where a protestor was killed. In fact, the army had told Corrie and other demonstrators from the anti-Israel International Solidarity Movement (ISM) to move out of the way. "It’s possible they [the protesters] were not as disciplined as we would have liked," admitted Thom Saffold, a founder and organizer of ISM (Washington Post, March 17, 2003).

The death of an "innocent" civilian is always tragic, and the best way to avoid such tragedies in the future is, first and foremost, by the Palestinian Authority/Palestine Liberation Organization (PA/PLO), it’s so-called "security forces" (subsidiaries of terrorism) such as Force 17 and Tanzim as well as the sister terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, putting an end to violence, and stopping the smuggling operations that have brought huge quantities of illegal weapons into the Gaza Strip.

Activists honestly interested in peace should be protesting the Arab "Palestinian" terrorist actions. Activists also have every right to express their views about Israel’s policies, but they should take care to avoid the appearance of siding with the terrorists or placing themselves in positions where they could be inadvertently caught in the crossfire of a counter-terror operation or otherwise endangered by entering an area where military operations are being conducted.

No one will dispute her death could have been avoided and should have never ever happened. If she acted sensibly by not standing in front of a moving bulldozer and supported terrorism and terrorists.

Rewarding the support of terrorism and terrorists is simply not an option.

Based on the legal principle of "assumption of the risk" Corrie's death is an act of self-infliction, much like that of the so-called "suicide bomber" (actually "homicide bomber") and should be prevented from profiteering from a "Palestinian" political propaganda ploy by suing for her own stupidity.

In strictly legal terms, Corrie’s lawsuit should be denied and dismissed on the basis of "assumption of the risk" by being in an area where a military operation was underway and by "aiding and abetting" with the International Solidarity Movement (or more accurately International Supporters of Murder). Corrie was dumb enough to allow herself to be used by terrorism and terrorists and should bar any legal claim whatsoever.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2005 Gary Fitleberg