Fifteen years ago 23-year-old American peace activist Rachel Corrie was killed by an Israeli bulldozer that was preparing to demolish a Palestinian home in the Gaza Strip.
Corrie has since become an icon of global solidarity with the people of Palestine.
Born on 10 April 1979 in Olympia Washington Corrie dedicated her life to defending Palestinian rights. In 2003 she went to the Gaza Strip as a member of the International Solidarity Movement.
She was known for her love of peace and for defending Palestinian rights frequently broadcasting photo essays exposing Israeli rights violations in the occupied territories.
On 16 March 2003 in the Gaza Strip’s southern city of Rafah Corrie stood before an Israeli bulldozer in hopes of stopping it from demolishing the home of a local Palestinian family.
Corrie believed that her foreign features and blonde hair would deter the bulldozer — but she was wrong. She was crushed to death when the bulldozer driver ran her over repeatedly according to witnesses.
The people of Gaza received news of her murder with grief and horror describing her as a “martyr” and staging a massive funeral for the American activist. (Palestine Chronicle)
