Dear Carolynn
You will remember us discussing this event that happened today 22 years ago when we were trying to make sense of inhumanity, and failing.
On a side note, I wrote to you a few weeks ago that Donald Trump wants to turn Gaza into a tourist resort for the wealthy and famous…
Author: Mark Bolton. Subbing: Deepseek.
(I was) “falling to my death off of something dusty and smooth and crumbling like the cliffs in Utah, but I kept holding on, and when each new foothold or handle of rock broke, I reached out as I fell and grabbed a new one. I didn’t have time to think about anything — just react … And I heard, ‘I can’t die, I can’t die,’ again and again in my head.”
A bad dream? Or an unwelcome premonition? It’s far too detailed to be a premonition, right? Tragically, no. The young woman who wrote about this dream in her diary would indeed live this moment in real life—under the weight of dirt, rubble, and a massive bulldozer.
Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old American peace activist, was killed 22 years ago today, on March 16, 2003, while protesting the destruction of Palestinian homes in Rafah, a city on the border of Egypt. She was part of the International Solidarity Movement, and many, including myself, believe her death was not an accident but a deliberate act. Rachel was standing in front of an Israeli military bulldozer, attempting to protect the home of Dr. Samir Nasrallah and his family—a family she had befriended and even stayed with. She was wearing a bright fluorescent orange vest, making it impossible for the driver not to see her. Witnesses say she briefly managed to climb onto the pile of dirt being pushed by the bulldozer, looking directly at the driver before she was crushed.
Her death was ruled an “accident” by the Israeli military, which claimed it occurred in a “war zone.” Despite her parents’ relentless legal efforts, including a lawsuit for a symbolic $1 and an appeal to Israel’s Supreme Court in 2015, no one has been held accountable. To many, including me, this feels like a cold-blooded murder swept under the rug, with the US turning a blind eye to protect its ally, Israel. It’s a stark reminder of how foreign policy often trumps justice.
Rachel’s story is more than just a tragedy—it’s a symbol of the ongoing injustice faced by Palestinians. She grew up in Olympia, Washington, and was a student at Evergreen College. Unlike so many of us who sit comfortably in our safe worlds, Rachel chose to act. She stood up against what she saw as systemic oppression, risking her life to protect innocent people. Her courage reminds me of what she might have done had she lived in the 1930s, standing up to the Nazis in Jewish ghettos that held capture the ancestors of many Israeli citizens today. It’s a bitter irony that the state of Israel, born out of the horrors of the Holocaust, now uses similar rhetoric and tactics against Palestinians, referring to them as a “demographic threat.”
The parallels are chilling. Hitler once described Jewish people as a “race-tuberculosis of the peoples,” and today, some in Israel use dehumanising language to justify their actions against Palestinians. The world was rightly outraged by the Holocaust, but now, many turn a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinians. It’s as if the trauma of the past has become an excuse for present-day atrocities.
“Rachel shouldered the responsibility that her government would not bear,” said Krissy Johnson, 24, a friend of Corrie’s. “She was killed by a bulldozer paid for by U.S. tax dollars. In her name, we say: Stop the killing.” (Seattle Post, March 16, 2003)
I’m not here to debate geopolitics or Zionism. I’m talking about inhumanity. I support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement not because I’m anti-Jewish or anti-Israel, but because I’m anti-genocide being waged on Palestinians as I am the neo-Nazi’s looking to have a second crack at Jewish people. Being against the systematic destruction of a people shouldn’t be controversial.
The only solution, in my view, is a two-state solution—one that recognises the rights and humanity of both Israelis and Palestinians. Palestine existed long before Israel was established in 1948, and its people deserve justice and peace.
Courtesy Corrie family via Independent
Rachel Corrie is a hero, though her name is known by far too few. She put her body on the line to protect those who are often treated as invisible or expendable. Her legacy lives on in the hearts of many Palestinians who honour her memory and in the work of the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, founded by her parents. Rest in power, Rachel. Your courage continues to inspire.
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