Corrie tearing US flag as children look on
Corrie tearing US flag as children look onIsrael news photo: file

The parents of American pro-Gaza activist Rachel Corrie have filed a civil suit against Israel over the death of their daughter in Gaza in 2003. Corrie died after sustaining injuries when she was hit by a pile of dirt and debris while lying down in front of a D9 bulldozer. The bulldozer was driven by IDF soldiers searching for terrorist weapons-smuggling tunnels.

The case opened this week in the Haifa District Court.

In its opening defense statement, the state asked that the suit be dismissed. Corrie deliberately put herself at risk, state attorneys argued. The incident has been thoroughly investigated, and it has been proven that the IDF soldier driving the bulldozer had no intention of injuring Corrie, but simply could not see her, they said.

"Rachel Corrie was injured as a result of her prohibited action, for which she is solely responsible, due to her considerable negligence and lack of caution,” the state argued. “She willingly took part in hostile and violent illegal activity, and intentionally and willingly put herself at risk, while she was in the Gaza strip in general, and along the Philadelphi Corridor, in particular, which were combat zones at the time and had been declared a 'closed military zone.'”

The bulldozers used in Gaza had a limited field of vision, due to the need to protect drivers from snipers and other forms of attack. Polygraph tests showed that the driver who pushed debris onto Corrie was telling the truth when he said that he was unable to see her, defense attorneys said.

The driver stopped when Corrie's friends ran into his field of view and signaled that someone had been hit, the state noted.

In an editorial this week, Professor Steven Plaut accused the extreme left of using Corrie's death to further their anti-Israel agenda.

Internationals to Challenge IDF on Gaza Barrier

As the case opened, Gaza Arabs and international activists began another campaign aimed at challenging IDF security zones along the Gaza barrier. Groups of Arabs and internationals plan to walk toward the Gaza security barrier, into the no-go zones near the barrier, according to the Palestinian Authority-linked Maan news agency.

The IDF created the no-go zones in order to prevent terrorists from approaching the barrier and attacking soldiers or infiltrating Israel. The zones also aim to prevent terrorists from planting bombs along the barrier, or digging tunnels into nearby Israeli towns to carry out attacks.

Gaza Arabs say they want to use the no-go zones for agriculture.