On Thursday morning, the District Court of Haifa began the re-trial of a case they had concluded in March: an Israeli judge ruled that the Court should hear further evidence about Rachel Corrie who was killed by an Israeli armored bulldozer in 2003.The case is a civil suit brought by Rachel Corrie’s parents against the Israeli military for the death of their daughter at the hands of military personnel. Israel never released the identity of the soldiers responsible for the bulldozer crushing of the 23-year old, citing privacy concerns.
In resuming consideration of the case, the Israeli judicial system admits that there may have been an error in its earlier decision, which found the military not liable for Corrie’s death.
The young peace activist was killed while standing in front of a Palestinian doctor’s home in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Her non-violent protest had been an attempt to prevent the demolition of the doctor’s home. An Israeli bulldozer manufactured by Caterpillar, a U.S. company, ran over Corrie several times, crushing her to death.
Rachel Corrie’s father, Craig Corrie, spoke to reporters outside the courtroom in Haifa, saying, “We pursue this case not just for our daughter … but for the many civilians killed in Gaza, still remembered, still loved, still awaiting justice.”
Corrie’s mother, Cindy, said “When our daughter was killed, the Israeli government promised a thorough, credible and transparent investigation into her death, and neither our family nor our government believes that standard has been met. After seven years, we hope the government witnesses will be compelled by this trial to provide some of the answers that have so long been denied us.”
The Corrie family’s case against the Israeli government holds the military responsible for her death. They claim that military officers were negligent in their duty and violated international law and signed treaties, by killing Rachel.
