The Rachel Corrie Foundation issued a release stating that the verdict in the civil lawsuit filed by the family of American peace activist, Rachel Corrie, killed by Israel in 2003, will be announced on August 28, 2012.The court session will be held at District Court in Haifa, at 9:00 a.m. the foundation said.
Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old American from Olympia, Washington, was crushed to death March 16, 2003, by an Israeli military Caterpillar D9-R bulldozer while nonviolently protesting demolition of Palestinian civilian homes in Rafah, Gaza.
The lawsuit, filed in 2005 on behalf of the Corrie family by attorney Hussein abu Hussein, charges the State of Israel with responsibility for Rachel’s killing and failure to conduct a full and credible investigation in the case.
Rachel’s father, Craig Corrie, stated that the lawsuit against Israel for killing his daughter “is just a small step in our family’s nearly decade-long search for truth and justice”.
“The mounting evidence presented before the court underscores a broken system of accountability, tolerated by the United States in spite of its conclusion that the Israeli army investigation was not thorough, credible or transparent”, Craig added.
Oral testimony in the case began March 10, 2010. There have been 15 court hearings since with 23 witnesses testifying. The trial has exposed serious chain-of-command failures in relation to civilian killings and indiscriminate destruction of civilian property at the hands of the Israeli military in southern Gaza, the Rachel Corrie Foundation said.
The Foundation added that “This trial is an attempt to hold accountable not only those who failed to protect Rachel’s life but also the flawed system of military investigations which is neither impartial nor thorough,’ said Hussein abu Hussein, the family’s attorney. ‘Under international law, Israel is obligated to take all feasible precautions to spare civilians from the dangers of military operations. The Israeli military flagrantly violated this principle in the killing of Rachel Corrie and it must be held accountable”.
The foundation further reported that Judge Oded Greshon will be reading the verdict that is expected to be brief, and added that the Corrie family will be holding a press conference following the court session.
The press conference will be held at the Colony Hotel, close to the court building in Haifa.
