Court clears Israeli army over death of U.S. activist

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - An Israeli court on Tuesday rejected accusations that Israel was to blame for the death of American activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed by an army bulldozer during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Gaza in 2003.

Corrie's family had accused Israel of intentionally and unlawfully killing their 23-year-old daughter, launching a civil case in the northern Israeli city of Haifa after a military investigation had cleared the army of wrong-doing.

Judge Oded Gershon said Corrie's death was a "regrettable accident", but invoked a clause that absolved the army because the incident had happened during a war-time situation, adding that the activist had ignored warnings to leave the area.

Corrie came from Olympia, Washington, and was a volunteer with the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement. She had been wearing a bright orange vest at the time of the incident but the bulldozer driver said he never saw her.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/08/28/uk-palestinians-israel-corrie-verdict-idUKBRE87R06120120828

---

Rachel Corrie: Court rules Israel not at fault for death.

The judge said the 23-year-old's death was a "regrettable accident" and that the state was not responsible.

She had been trying to stop Palestinian homes being pulled down in Gaza.

Judge Oded Gershon, presiding at the court in the town of Haifa, said Ms Corrie had been protecting terrorists in a designated combat zone.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19391814

[Ken Burch]

1. Let's face it, the fix was in from the start.

And now, hate-filled right-wing assholes will be posting pictures of pancakes all over the web tonight.

Rachel Corrie was guilty of nothing but working for a better world. All she wanted was peace and justice. She deserved no one's hate for wanting and working for those things.

[KG]

2. piss on israel

[Ken Burch]

31. Not "piss on Israel"...the problem is the government and the judicial system

and, apparently, that the judicial system is subordinate to the military.

"Israel" as a country and Israelis as a people aren't the problem and it's important to be careful about demonizing an entire country.

[FiveGoodMen]

32. Who elected their government?

[Ken Burch]

36. Some, but not all of the people.

None of the parties in the current coalition government received more than 22% of the vote in the last election.

[FiveGoodMen]

38. So not all of the people deserve the criticism, but many do.

Just like in the US.

[azurnoir]

3. don't know if I'll survive the shock at this

actually yes I will sadly it was the exact verdict I expected My sympathies to her parents, this must be hell for them

[atreides1]

4. And this is a surprise?

Was anyone really expecting a different outcome...come on after an Israeli sniper was sentenced to 45 days for killing two Palestinian women?

Sometime those who were oppressed, become the oppressors!

[oberliner]

10. Are you comparing Israel to Nazi Germany?

It almost seems like you are with that last sentence.

Not sure how white American college students are being oppressed by Israel. Her death is tragic, but she made the choice to put herself in a dangerous situation. The fact that she could have been killed standing up for what she believed in is what, in fact, made her so brave.

And your first paragraph is not correct. If accuracy is important to you, you ought to check the facts. The Israeli sniper you reference was not charged with killing two Palestinian women because there was not enough evidence to do so. He was convicted of a much less serious offense which warranted the light punishment.

[Flint Stone]

13. When you have state sanctioned bulldozing of houses filled with

women and children who should we compare them to???

[oberliner]

14. So you do think that is a fair comparison?

The actions of the current government of Israel and that of Nazi Germany are reasonably similar to you?

[Flint Stone]

17. I'm asking you, what state makes a fair comparison???

There have been several states throughout history that engaged in ethnic cleansing. While I know it's not ethnic cleansing when israel does it, what do we call a state that is actively killing off a specific people due to race, religion, etc???

[oberliner]

29. The US maybe?

You really stand by the claim that Nazi Germany is the best comparison?

[Ken Burch]

33. The Israeli government IS oppressing Palestinians...but it's NOT Nazi Germany.

Not only is the comparison offensive to Holocaust survivors, some of whom oppose what Israel is doing in the West Bank and Gaza, but rhetoric like that actually helps the Israeli propaganda machine.

Dial it back.

[snooper2]

19. Well, Nazi Germany had a timeline from not being in power till Hitler shot himself

You don't have to jump right to where they were gassing folks during the war-


How about comparing Governments circa 1935 - 1938?

November 1938 Kristallnacht - Jewish shops and synagogues were destroyed. Following the event the Jewish population was fined for the destruction.





http://historyonthenet.com/Chronology/timelinenazigermany.htm


9th November 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated. Weimar Republic declared.

28th June 1919 Treaty of Versailles signed.

5th January 1919 German Workers' Party (Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) DAP formed by Anton Drexler, Gottfried Feder, Dietrich Eckart and Karl Harrer

12th September 1919 Adolf Hitler, who had been sent by the German Army to spy on the German Workers' Party (Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) DAP, decided that he liked the political ideas of the party and became a member.

24th February 1920 German Workers' Party (DAP) changed its name to National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDP) called the Nazi Party for short. During its first meeting a 25 point programme was announced

29th July 1921 Adolf Hitler became leader of the NSDP and took the title der Führer

4th November 1921 SA (Sturm Abteilung) formed. Known as Stormtroopers these were the party militia. They were also known as brownshirts because of the brown shirts that formed part of their uniform.

8th November 1923 Munich (Beer Hall) Putsch - Hitler and the NSDP attempt to overthrow the Bavarian government failed. The leaders were arrested and charged with treason.

26th February 1924 Hitler's trial for his part in the Munich Putsch began. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison but only served 10 months. During his time in prison Hitler wrote Mein Kampf.

April 1925 SS (Schutzstaffel) formed. The SS, who wore black shirts to distinguish them from the SA, initially formed Hitler's personal bodyguard, but later became the party militia.

4th July 1926 Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth was formed. The party had had a youth section since its beginning, but this new re-organised Hitler Youth was more integrated into the SA.

20th August 1927 The first annual party conference to be held at Nuremburg. Known as the Nuremburg Rally all subsequent annual meetings were held at Nuremburg.

1929 - 1930 Great Depression - The world depression saw many Germans face unemployment and poverty. Support for the Nazi party increased dramatically.

During 1930 Hitler Youth junior branches established - Deutsches Jungvolk for boys aged 10 - 14 years and the Bund Deutscher Mädel (League of German Girls) for girls aged 10 - 18 years.

September 1930 The Nazi party gained 18.3% of the vote in the Reichstag elections to become the second largest party.

July 1932 The Nazi party gained 37.4% of the vote in the Reichstag elections to become the largest party.

30th January 1933 Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Hindenburg

3rd February 1933 Hitler defined the Nazi party foreign policy. The prime goal was to secure lebensraum (living space) for the German master race.

27th February 1933 The Reichstag Fire. A fire which broke out at the Reichstag building was blamed on the Communist Party (KPD). As a result the KPD, which was the second largest party in Germany, was banned. The banning of the Communist party gave the Nazis a clear majority in government.

5th March 1933 With the Communist party banned Hitler ordered a new election at which the Nazi party gained 44% of the General election vote.

23rd March 1933 Enabling Act gave Hitler power to make laws without consulting the Reichstag for a period of four years

26th April 1933 The Gestapo, Nazi secret police, were formed

26th April 1933 The Nazis took over local government

2nd May 1933 Trade Unions were banned

10th May 1933 25,000 'un-German' books burned in an “Action against the Un-German Spirit”. The move was encouraged by Joseph Goebbels, Head of Propaganda.

14th July 1933 All political parties except the Nazis were banned

October 1933 Germany withdrew from the League of Nations

30th June 1934 The Night of the Long Knives - 150 leaders of the Stormtroopers SA were executed. Many members of the SA were committed socialists and demanded that Nazi policy embrace socialist aims. This was not a direction the Nazis wished to follow so the SA were eliminated.

2nd August 1934 President Hindenburg died. Hitler combined the post of President and Chancellor and called himself Fuhrer.

September 1934 In a speech to the National Socialist Women's Organization, Hitler defined women's role stating that a woman's " world is her husband, her family, her children, and her home."

26th February 1935 Hitler ordered Hermann Goering to establish the Luftwaffe, German airforce, in defiance of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles

March 1935 Hitler publicly announced that the German Army was to be expanded. Conscription was introduced.

15th September 1935 Nuremburg Laws defined German citizenship. Relationships between Jews and Aryans were banned.

7th March 1936 Re-occupation of the Rhineland. In contravention of the terms of the Versailles Treaty, Hitler sent German troops to re-occupy the Rhineland.

1st August 1936 Berlin Olympics began.

25th October 1936 Axis alliance concluded between Germany and Italy

25th November 1936 Anti-Comintern pact concluded between Germany and Japan

December 1936 Law concerning the Hitler Youth made membership of the Hitler Youth compulsory for all boys

14th March 1938 Anschluss with Austria. Hitler made a triumphant entry into Vienna

30th September 1938 Munich Agreement - Allies agreed that Germany could have the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia in return for peace

November 1938 Kristallnacht - Jewish shops and synagogues were destroyed. Following the event the Jewish population was fined for the destruction.

15th March 1939 Hitler invaded and occupied Czechoslovakia in contravention of the Munich Agreement

31st March 1939 Britain issued a statement guaranteeing Poland's independence. The issuing of this statement meant that if Germany invaded Poland then Britain would come to the aid of the Poles.

23rd August 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact - Alliance between Hitler and Stalin which agreed to divide Poland between the two countries.

25th August 1939 Anglo-Polish Common Defence Pact - This agreement offered mutual military assistance in the event that one country was attacked by another European country. A clause was added specifying that the assistance would only be offered if the invaded country's army fought against the aggressor.

1st September 1939 Hitler invaded Poland using Blitzkrieg (lightning war) tactics. Although the Poles fought back they were quickly defeated and Poland was occupied.

3rd September 1939 Britain and France declared war on Germany

9th April 1940 Denmark and Norway invaded and occupied

10th May 1940 Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France invaded and occupied

10th July 1940 Battle of Britain began - German Luftwaffe attempted to gain control of British airspace through defeat of the Royal Airforce.

October 1940 Daylight and night bombing raids on Britain (The Blitz) by the Luftwaffe were abandoned. Hitler also delayed and later abandoned plans to invade Britain.

6th April 1941 Yugoslavia and Greece invaded and occupied

22nd June 1941 Operation Barbarossa - 3 million German troops invaded Russia

5th December 1941 German advance in Russia halted by Russian winter and Russian counterattacks.

11th December 1941 Hitler declared war on the United States. Following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December the United States had declared war on Japan. Under the terms of the Anti-Comintern Pack Hitler was bound to declare war on the United States

20th January 1942 Wannsee Conference approved plans for the 'Final Solution'.

5th November 1942 German troops defeated at the Second Battle of El Alamein in North Africa

2nd February 1943 German 6th Army defeated at Stalingrad

4th March 1943 First allied bombing raid on German cities

6th June 1944 Operation Overlord, D-Day. Allied invasion of Normandy

20th July 1944 July Bomb Plot failed attempt to assassinate Hitler.

30th April 1945 Hitler committed suicide

2nd May 1945 Germany surrendered ending the war in Europe

20th November 1945 Nuremburg war crimes trial began

[oberliner]

30. So that would put Israel only a few years away from mass extermination?

Israel's been around for over sixty years. When are you suggesting that they became similar to early Nazi Germany? How far along the trajectory are they?

[FiveGoodMen]

34. How long had Germany been around before Hitler started the trouble?

[oberliner]

39. So which Israeli leader is Hitler in this analogy?

I seriously cannot believe anyone is genuinely making this argument or seriously trying to suggest this analogy is remotely valid.

[FiveGoodMen]

40. I'm not actually making that argument

Last edited Tue Aug 28, 2012, 07:24 PM - Edit history (1)

Only asking why you think it's so ridiculous.

Israel kills its neighbors at a ten-to-one ratio whenever it gets into a fight.

Israel is constantly saber-rattling; chomping at the bit to start wars with Iran, etc. (And expecting us to play along!)

Israel somehow gets to have nukes when no one else in the region is allowed.

Israel torpedoes any attempts at regional peace as it constantly expands its settlements on land it will clearly never give back.

Israel is far from innocent.

I don't think they're on the verge of starting WWIII (not on purpose anyway) but they do seem to believe that they have MORE right to exist than the nations around them. (What is Zionism, after all?)

[oberliner]

51. None of what you described sounds anything like Nazi Germany

Sounds actually a lot like the US.

There is a difference between being "innocent" and being analogous to Nazi Germany.

[Missycim]

54. Well if you don't want Israel to

kill 10 to 1, please ask their neighbors not to fire rockets into their country and then they won't have to fire back.

I don't blame them for wanting to take out Iran's nuke program, I am sure Israel will be the one and only target of it. After the many speeches from Iamadinnerjacket saying that soon they will be gone from the face of the earth, how can anyone blame the Israelis from wanting to attack. (please spare me "its not the people just the Zionists line)


Did Israel sign the NPT? How about the other countries of the area?

[The Stranger]

45. He specifically noted the bulldozing innocent civilians with women and children in the homes.

Does that NOT sound like a Nazi thing to do?

[oberliner]

46. Do you understand who the Nazis were and what they did?

Even the strongest critics of Israel understand that this analogy is way off-base.

It's stunning that anyone would have a hard time seeing that.

[The Stranger]

59. Answer the question.

[Missycim]

55. Got proof that they bulldozed occupied homes?

nt

[The Stranger]

60. Yes, sure do.

[Missycim]

61. well then please provide such proof

nt

[regnaD kciN]

27. You forfeit the argument...

...by invoking Godwin's Law.

[oberliner]

28. I would argue that it was invoked subtly in the post I was responding to

I was asking for clarification to make sure I didn't misunderstand what was being claimed.

[FiveGoodMen]

35. Bullshit

Godwin's law is an attempt to silence discussion.

Fuck Godwin. Fuck his followers.

(I'm not defending the post you were responding to, however)

[Ken Burch]

37. Actually, he wasn't making that comparison

You can become an oppressor without becoming a Nazi.

[Flint Stone]

47. I don't think you were following the thread

The only person to bring up Nazi's was Oberliner.

Atreides1 stated the oppressed become the oppressors and Oberliner brought up Nazi's.

I was just curious who Oberliner thinks throughout history makes the best comparison to modern day israel.

Apparently he thinks it's the US, which does have some truth, we certainly did a helluva job getting the American Indians out or our way.

[Ken Burch]

48. The U.S. IS a good comparison, and I think that's why so many U.S. progressives are concerned.

It happened here, so we feel an obligation to not let it happen again. It's about learning from history.

Israel is one of the last remaining outposts of "Manifest Destiny".

[cpwm17]

5. It was obvious cold blooded murder

One's view on Israel is the best litmus test I know to determine what one's view on how to treat their follow man. The right wing loves Israel.

[oberliner]

11. Cold blooded murder?

Not even the lawyers for the Corrie family are saying that.

Incidentally, lots of Democrats love Israel too.

[Heywood J]

6. Hmm... If this was a "war-time situation",

does that mean that international rules concerning the treatment of combatants and civilians must be observed? If so, where are the remaining prosecutions?

[BlueMTexpat]

15. My reaction too.

Was Ms Corrie considered a "combatant" - unarmed against a tank?

Or was she considered a civilian?

Or was she just considered as non-human?

Which was it?

[AnOhioan]

7. Of course they did, there was never any real doubt that they would protect their own

RIP Ms Corrie

[Franker65]

8. Expected

Well sadly, yes, it isn't an unexpected verdict. And of course yes, she was wearing an orange vest. Brave woman and inexcusablefrom Israel.

[Blue_Tires]

9. k+r

Strange to think I've been around long enough on DU (maybe TOO long) to remember when this was a breaking story--And the endless fighting threads that resulted from it...

[oberliner]

12. The fights get recycled every few months/years

This will get things rolling again.

Do you ever post in the IP forum?

[Blue_Tires]

20. not usually

I can hardly keep up with my other interest groups, and I used to mod the Af'ram forum....

[hifiguy]

16. Everybody who is surprised by this

stand on your head.

Pigs.

[glacierbay]

18. Gee,

like we didn't see this coming.
I hope Rachael Corrie's family can find some sense of closure somewhere.
I wonder if the U.N. High Crimes division can help them get some justice?

[Poll_Blind]

21. Billy Bragg - The Lonesome Death of Rachel Corrie

An Israeli bulldozer killed poor Rachel Corrie
As she stood in its path in the town of Rafah
She lost her young life in an act of compassion
Trying to protect the poor people of Gaza
Whose homes are destroyed by tank shells and bulldozers
And whose plight is exploited by suicide bombers
Who kill in the name of the people of Gaza
But Rachel Corrie believed in non-violent resistance
Put herself in harm's way as a shield of the people
And paid with her life in a manner most brutal

But you who philosophise disgrace and criticise all fears,
Take the rag away from your face.
Now ain't the time for your tears.

Rachel Corrie had 23 years
She was born in the town of Olympia, Washington
A skinny, messy, list-making chain-smoker
Who volunteered to protect the Palestinian people
Who had become non-persons in the eyes of the media
So that people were suffering and no one was seeing
Or hearing or talking or caring or acting
And the horrible math of the awful equation
That brought Rachel Corrie into this confrontation
Is that the spilt blood of a single American
Is worth more than the blood of a hundred Palestinians

But you who philosophise disgrace and criticise all fears,
Take the rag away from your face.
Now ain't the time for your tears.

The artistic director of a New York theatre
Cancelled a play based on Rachel's writings
But she wasn't a bomber or a killer or fighter
But one who acted in the spirit of the Freedom Riders
Is there no place for a voice in America
That doesn't conform to the Fox News agenda?
Who believes in non-violence instead of brute force
Who is willing to confront the might of an army
Whose passionate beliefs were matched by her bravery
The question she asked rings out round the world
If America is truly the beacon of freedom
Then how can it stand by while they bring down the curtain
And turn Rachel Corrie into a non-person?

Oh, but you who philosophise disgrace and criticise all fears,
Bury the rag deep in your face
For now's the time for your tears.

PB

[dipsydoodle]

22. You should cross post that in the video section.

[Poll_Blind]

23. You're welcome to...seems more germane here. nt

PB

[dipsydoodle]

24. I guess you're right.

.

[oberliner]

53. No songs for the countless Palestinians who have been similarly killed without justice

Somehow the songs plays and tributes are reserved for the young white American female.

[Poll_Blind]

56. Actually, I thought this stanza addressed that irony quite well:

And the horrible math of the awful equation
That brought Rachel Corrie into this confrontation
Is that the spilt blood of a single American
Is worth more than the blood of a hundred Palestinians

When I was thinking about it yesterday, it occurred to me that Bragg was basically echoing your sentiment in that stanza. That's just my interpretation, but he's a pretty sharp lyricist when he wants to be.

PB

[oberliner]

57. And yet this girl is who he felt moved to write a song about

And who a play was produced in NYC about.

Not the hundreds of Palestinians that are alluded to here but go unnamed.

Edit to add: I guess he didn't actually write the song but rather took a pre-existing song and changed the words to pay tribute to this young white American female (The original is about an African-American maid).

[Big_Mike]

25. As I have stated over the years, my deepest condolences to her family. But she made mistakes.

I work around heavy construction equipment all of the time. She was run over by a 54-ton D9R bulldozer. As the bulldozer moves forward, the earth and materials are being scraped from the ground and pushed by the blade to fall forward, kind of in a circular motion. This material is called spoil. The mission of that dozer was to clear vegetation. In the famous photos taken before the event, you can see some small trees in the spoil.

At the time Rachel was run over, the dozer had spoil built up in front of the blade. She was reportedly climbing up the spoil with shoulders and head above the level of the blade for a moment or two, calling for the dozer to stop through a loudspeaker. She had apparently done this a couple of times before. Here is where the tragedy begins.

Firstly, climbing above the spoil, even in a reflective vest, she stood about a 50/50 chance of the driver even seeing her. You look to the sides and rear quite a bit when operating such a machine. One of the ISM members stated that the driver was looking over his shoulder as Rachel got to the top of the spoil. Also, the armored cab has very small windows with limited visibility.

Second, she was trying to make the driver hear over a 460 hp un-muffled diesel engine which is virtually impossible. It is very, very loud when the cab area is open, in the armored version like that, the drive might hear a bomb go off 100 yds away, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Finally, trying to move to get away once the subsurface begins to shatter due to the approach of the dozer is almost impossible. According to the report, her foot was caught and then the spoil went over her. This is, according to the report, what killed her. Not the blade and most definitely not the tracks.

A beautiful young lady died, a family was devastated, and no gain occurred anywhere. But I do have to say that this was preventable simply by standing 15 degrees off to the side of the machine as it came forward.

[COLGATE4]

26. Minds are already made up. Don't

confuse them with facts.

[hoboken123]

44. Yeah, politics aside, she made terrible choices in dealing with a plodding machine...

...with less than ideal visibility.

[L0oniX]

41. I'm sure the dozer driver is really sorry ....pffft

"happened during a war-time situation" OK ....then I call this a war crime!

[Great Caesars Ghost]

42. Revenge

[pink-o]

43. This should have been tried in The Hague

Something tells me there might have been a different verdict!

And for the comparisons upthread of Israel to Nazi Germany--knock it off. The so-and-so-is-Hitler doesn't cut it. Only Hitler was Hitler.

However...

Comparing Israel to Apartheid South Africa is probably closer to the truth. Taking the native people of a land, Ghetto-izing them, making them slave workers who must carry permits to enter certain places, denying them rights that European types have...sounds like the same thing to me! And before anyone accuses me of Anti-Semitism, know this: my great grandfather was an Orthodox Rabbi, who died in 1953, 5 years after seeing his dream of a Jewish homeland come true. If he could see it now, I bet he'd wish he never worked so hard for it!

[whathehell]

49. Yes, it should have been, and yes, I believe there would have been a different outcome. n/t

[oberliner]

52. The Hague?

For a case where one person was killed. You think this is worthy of the attention of the international criminal court? One would think there would be a very very long list of much more serious crimes ahead of this one on the docket.

[redgreenandblue]

50. There is no justice in Israel. nt

[Hotler]

58. Stop subsidizing Israel.

When will Israel show some personal responsibility , accountability and pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and stop relying on handouts from the American tax payer. Geeezzzz! Talk about entitlement programs.