Washington D.C. – The mother of Rachel Corrie, the US activist killed in Gaza in 2003 by an Israeli military bulldozer, has published a powerful commentary in the US-magazine The Nation calling for a comprehensive arms embargo against Israel.
Cindy Corrie, whose daughter lost her life 23 years ago during a peaceful protest, writes that the US delivery of armored Caterpillar D-9 bulldozers to Israel must finally end.
These bulldozers — manufactured in the United States and delivered by presidents from George W. Bush to Joe Biden — are the same machines that killed her daughter and remain in use to this day.
In his final months in office, President Biden halted the shipment of militarized bulldozers to Israel, officially acknowledging for the first time the role these machines play in the systematic destruction of Palestinian homes. However, one of Donald Trump’s first acts upon taking office was to reverse that decision and resume the transfers.
Since then, Israel has only accelerated the destruction of homes — not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank and now in its invasion of southern Lebanon.
Cindy Corrie welcomes the initiative of Senator Bernie Sanders, who is forcing a vote in the US Senate on banning the transfer of D-9 bulldozers to Israel.
„This will not be a symbolic gesture, but a concrete step toward the protection of human life,“ she writes. She urges elected representatives not to leave Sanders standing alone, and to cast their votes as a clear signal — in honor of her daughter, other Americans, and thousands of Palestinian civilians killed.
Who was Rachel Corrie?
Rachel Corrie was a 23-year-old American and member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). In March 2003, she was run over by an armored Israeli military bulldozer in Rafah while peacefully attempting to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home
. Her death sparked a global debate about the proportionality of military force against unarmed activists.
In one of her last letters to her parents, she wrote:
„I feel like I’m witnessing the systematic destruction of a people’s ability to survive. It’s hard to believe when you’re not here, but it’s real.“
Rachel Corrie became a global symbol of civilian resistance against Israeli occupation policies. Her name remains to this day a symbol of courage and commitment to Palestinian rights.
Following their daughter’s death, Cindy and Craig Corrie founded the Rachel Corrie Foundation, which has since worked for human rights, education and the rights of the Palestinian people — keeping their daughter’s legacy alive.
Bernie Sanders is a US Senator from Vermont and one of America’s most prominent progressive politicians. He is among the few American politicians to have openly and repeatedly criticized the unconditional US military support for Israel.
Sanders has consistently argued that the delivery of American weapons to Israel that result in civilian deaths can no longer be tolerated. His push for a bulldozer and arms embargo against Israel represents the most far-reaching congressional attempt to date to concretely restrict US weapons policy toward Israel — and has so far been met with resistance in the Senate.
“It’s Rachel”
In 2003, Cindy Corrie was told her daughter had died under an Israeli military bulldozer while trying to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in Rafah, Gaza.
Watch the full Turning Point Episode on Rachel Corrie here: https://t.co/kcUZ0w9xRS pic.twitter.com/lWZHODfwQe
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) January 31, 2024
ALSO INTERESTING
– Israel-Criticism –
Kasparian: „You are not hated because you are Jewish“
US journalist Ana Kasparian clarifies her stance on Israel: „You are not hated because you are Jewish.“ From Hollywood’s Richard Gere to football’s Pep Guardiola and European leaders—a global movement of moral protest is reaching all levels of society.
