Cindy Corrie:End of the Year

Dear Friends,




It's become part of our annual ritual at the Rachel Corrie Foundation to write this end-of-year newsletter and use it as an opportunity to reflect on all that has been and all that can be. We dedicate this issue to Scott Kennedy - co- founder of the Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz, former city council member and mayor, a giant contributor to efforts for justice and peace in Israel/Palestine, and our friend. Scott died unexpectedly November 19th - one week after leading his final tour to the Middle East with Interfaith Peace-Builders. In 2004, as mayor, he declared March 16th Rachel Corrie Day in Santa Cruz and said, “It is a very sad commentary on the state of political affairs in the United States that our national government has done virtually nothing to find out what happened…” In 2005, he hosted Craig and me and members of the family whose home Rachel stood to protect, in a memorable Santa Cruz visit. He was a brave, passionate man who helped us find our voices.





I’m writing from home, wrapping up work before departing for an uncle’s funeral in Iowa and a grandchild’s birthday on the east coast. Life’s cycles are very present for me. From my living room, I’m able to gaze at “Rachel’s tree.” It’s now a gorgeous, lushly green, fifty-foot-tall Douglas fir, nurtured by the rains, sun, and soils of the Pacific Northwest. It was a tiny five-inch seedling when Rachel brought it home from an elementary school field trip and planted it in our yard. We love trees and have others that are named, but numerous seedlings through the years haven’t fared so well. This tree, though, dominates the view from our dining room window and is a reminder of the ability and power of seeds to grow into things magnificent – and a reminder of all that Rachel has left behind. Seeds planted by people like Scott Kennedy and Rachel expand as we keep their spirits and examples alive in our own work.




It has been a momentous year for the world and for the Rachel Corrie Foundation. The outcomes of all we have seen erupt in the Middle East and North Africa and in Occupy communities across the U.S. remain unclear, but we have turned a corner to a place where personal freedoms, human rights, and opportunity will no longer be easily denied. This newsletter includes news of our 2011 accomplishments – and there are many – but more important are our plans for 2012 and after, intended to support struggles for equality and justice in the Middle East and beyond. We look forward to Olympia’s first Arab Festival in October, to supporting boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) efforts in Olympia and elsewhere, and to increasingly effective connections with friends in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel.



As we embark on our ninth year, our partnerships with those who work on Israel/ Palestine and on many related issues are key. The connections make us stronger. We are strengthened also by volunteers – many locally in Olympia, but by those, too, across the world who creatively share Rachel’s story and the work that emanates from it. We appreciate you!



This is a time of year when we ask for help. We need your support more than ever – to sustain our current work and to do even more. Please take time during this busy season to consider how you can support the Rachel Corrie Foundation now and in the coming year – but most of all, know how grateful we are for your interest and support in 2011 and for all the personal actions you have taken to move our collective efforts for justice and peace in Israel/ Palestine forward.



Peace, Salaam, Shalom,



Cindy Corrie, President, Rachel Corrie Foundation

Colonel Pinhas (Pinky) Zuaretz to Testify in Corrie Trial Wednesday, April 27th

MEDIA ADVISORY


Colonel Pinhas (Pinky) Zuaretz to Testify

in Corrie Trial Wed, April 27th

Brigade Commander's appearance is moved

forward nearly one month.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 20, 2011

(Haifa, Israel) - In a breaking development, an Israeli court has granted the State's request to move the testimony of former Brigade Commander Pinhas (Pinky) Zuaretz to next week, Wednesday, April 27, nearly one month prior to his originally scheduled appearance. A 5-page affidavit for the witness was only issued by the State on Sunday. Attorney Hussein Abu Hussein who represents the Corrie family initially opposed the State request and filed motion for reconsideration citing due process violations.

Colonel Zuaretz was the commanding officer of the Gaza Division's Southern Brigade in 2003, when American peace activist Rachel Corrie was killed. Troops under Zuaretz command were responsible for the military's actions resulting in Rachel's killing in Rafah, Gaza that day. Zuaretz is the highest ranking officer called as a government witness in the civil trial, and possibly, the highest ranking Israeli military officer ever to face cross examination in a civil suit regarding the actions of the Israeli military against civilians in Gaza during the second intifada. His testimony is expected to shed light on the Israeli military's failures as an occupying power to protect civilian life and property in the region.

WHO:

Oral testimony and cross examination of former Israeli Military Southern Brigade Commander, Colonel Pinhas (Pinky) Zuaretz, by plaintiffs' attorney Hussein abu Hussein.

WHAT:

Corrie vs. State of Israel, Ministry of Defense; a civil case charging the Israeli military with the responsibility of killing Rachel Corrie in violation of Israeli and international law.

WHEN:

Wednesday, April 27, 2011, 12:00 (noon) - 16:00

WHERE:

Courtroom of Judge Oded Gershon, 6th floor, Haifa District Court, 12 Palyam St., Haifa, Israel.

Please visit the Trial Update page of the Rachel Corrie Foundation website for updates, changes to the court schedule, and related information.

For press related inquiries, please contact: press@rachelcorriefoundation.org

In Israel, call Sarah at + 972-52-952-2143

RACHEL 'in MEKTUBLARIN 'dan

February 28 2003


(To her mother)



Thanks, Mom, for your response to my email. It really helps me to get word from you, and from other people who care about me.



After I wrote to you I went incommunicado from the affinity group for about 10 hours which I spent with a family on the front line in Hi Salam – who fixed me dinner – and have cable TV. The two front rooms of their house are unusable because gunshots have been fired through the walls, so the whole family – three kids and two parents – sleep in the parent’s bedroom. I sleep on the floor next to the youngest daughter, Iman, and we all shared blankets. I helped the son with his English homework a little, and we all watched Pet Semetery, which is a horrifying movie. I think they all thought it was pretty funny how much trouble I had watching it. Friday is the holiday, and when I woke up they were watching Gummy Bears dubbed into Arabic. So I ate breakfast with them and sat there for a while and just enjoyed being in this big puddle of blankets with this family watching what for me seemed like Saturday morning cartoons. Then I walked some way to B’razil, which is where Nidal and Mansur and Grandmother and Rafat and all the rest of the big family that has really wholeheartedly adopted me live. (The other day, by the way, Grandmother gave me a pantomimed lecture in Arabic that involved a lot of blowing and pointing to her black shawl. I got Nidal to tell her that my mother would appreciate knowing that someone here was giving me a lecture about smoking turning my lungs black.) I met their sister-in-law, who is visiting from Nusserat camp, and played with her small baby.



Nidal’s English gets better every day. He’s the one who calls me, “My sister”. He started teaching Grandmother how to say, “Hello. How are you?” In English. You can always hear the tanks and bulldozers passing by, but all of these people are genuinely cheerful with each other, and with me. When I am with Palestinian friends I tend to be somewhat less horrified than when I am trying to act in a role of human rights observer, documenter, or direct-action resister. They are a good example of how to be in it for the long haul. I know that the situation gets to them – and may ultimately get them – on all kinds of levels, but I am nevertheless amazed at their strength in being able to defend such a large degree of their humanity – laughter, generosity, family-time – against the incredible horror occurring in their lives and against the constant presence of death. I felt much better after this morning. I spent a lot of time writing about the disappointment of discovering, somewhat first-hand, the degree of evil of which we are still capable. I should at least mention that I am also discovering a degree of strength and of basic ability for humans to remain human in the direst of circumstances – which I also haven’t seen before. I think the word is dignity. I wish you could meet these people. Maybe, hopefully, someday you will.

Benim Adım Rachel Corrie

Rachel Corrie Foundation

Hello  ,








Congressman Brian Baird

In our work at the Rachel Corrie Foundation we connect with an expanding network of organizations that share a vision of a just and enduring peace in Palestine/Israel.



We are proud to be a member organization of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. We recently partnered with the U.S. Campaign to respond to news reports regarding a suspension of Caterpillar bulldozer sales to Israel. Israeli press reported that the suspension was in response to the Corrie family's ongoing civil lawsuit against the State of Israel, currently taking place in Haifa. Through the leadership of those at the U.S. Campaign and the participation of member organizations, over 11,000 signatures were gathered for a petition and letter to be delivered to the Obama administration. The letter calls for a continued suspension of Caterpillar D9 bulldozer sales, until the government of Israel accounts for the illegal actions committed with these armored machines.



The U.S. Campaign has also announced an exciting new fundraiser, which will allow supporters the opportunity to help replant olive trees, benefiting farming families throughout Palestine. Your donation will do more than honor Rachel's memory and the principles of human rights, justice and peace, to which she dedicated her life. Your donation will also support the ongoing work of two organizations - the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Please follow this link for more information and to lend your support- and forward widely!



On Thursday, November 18th, the group Ta'anit Tzedek - Jewish Fast for Gaza - hosted a conference call with Washington State Congressman Brian Baird. In this fascinating discussion, the Congressman speaks candidly about his four visits to Gaza since Operation Cast Lead, and about his view of U.S. and Israeli policies - including recent efforts by the Obama administration to temporarily halt Israeli West Bank settlement expansion in return for a package of U.S. funded incentives. The package included continued diplomatic cover at the U.N. as well as provision of F-35 attack jets. The Congressman (whose constituents have included Rachel Corrie and her parents) talks about his experience in Congress, as well as his experience with Israeli officials in the period following Rachel's killing.



Rabbis Brian Walt and Brant Rosen, Project Coordinators of Ta'anit Tzedek, have previously hosted a teleconference with the Corries. In March, Rabbi Walt attended a court session in the Corrie's civil trial, which continues in Haifa, Israel, on December 22nd. Click here to connect with Ta'anit Tzedek, and to listen to this important conversation with retiring Congressman Brian Baird.

İNSAN HAKLARI VE HUKUKUN ÜSTÜNLÜĞÜ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


November 10, 2010







UN Human Rights Council Calls On U.S.

to Enforce "Leahy Amendment"



Rachel Corrie Foundation Joins First-Ever U.S. Universal Periodic Review





(Olympia, Washington) - The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva yesterday released its draft report on the first Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the U.S. human rights record. The report called for greater transparency and accountability in U.S. foreign military aid and programs. On Thursday, November 4, Gina Patnaik spoke at UN headquarters in Geneva, representing the Rachel Corrie Foundation in a side panel to the U.S. review, and called upon the U.S. Government to enforce two existing mechanisms for monitoring human rights abuses - the "Leahy Amendment," and the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.



Last Friday, a high level delegation of the U.S. government presented the U.S. UPR report and answered questions from more than 50 nations about the U.S. human rights record. The U.S. delegation was led by Esther Brimmer, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs; Harold Koh, Legal Adviser for the U.S. Department of State; and Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The delegation noted "President Obama's and Secretary Clinton's deep commitment to multilateral engagement, human rights, and the rule of law." The U.S. delegation stated, "By admitting the possibility of imperfection, new opportunities to improve are revealed..."



The Universal Periodic Review was established by the UN General Assembly in 2006 to review human rights records of all 192 UN member states. Last April, the Rachel Corrie Foundation provided a submission for the review of the U.S. that focused on the following:



Lack of U.S. investigation of alleged human rights abuses committed by recipients of U.S. military aid;



Inconsistent application of U.S. laws that govern reporting of alleged human rights abuses by foreign militaries; and



Funding of exports and training for foreign militaries when credible evidence exists that these militaries engage in human rights violations.



The draft U.S. UPR report includes a recommendation from Norway "that the model legal framework expressed by the Leahy laws be applied with respect to all countries receiving the US's security assistance, and that the human rights records of all units receiving such assistance be documented, evaluated, made available and followed up upon in cases of abuse."



The Leahy Amendment is part of U.S. foreign assistance legislation and states that the U.S. must review all credible evidence of gross human rights violations committed by foreign militaries. It requires the U.S. Government to withhold U.S. funding for foreign military units when credible evidence of gross human rights violations exists and until perpetrators are held accountable.



In Geneva, Ms. Patnaik explained that there are systemic flaws in U.S. implementation of both the "Leahy Amendment," and the Department of State's annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices that prevent them from effectively identifying and remedying gross human rights violations. Patnaik stated that multiple sources have provided credible evidence of a persistent pattern of human rights violations committed by the Israeli military, including the killing and injury of international human rights monitors and Palestinian civilians, and demolition of civilian homes. However, to date, the U.S. Department of State has not conducted an investigation under the Leahy Amendment into any Israeli military violations of human rights law.



Ms. Patnaik asserted that inaccuracies and omissions in the U.S. Department of State's annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices compound gaps in U.S. monitoring of human rights practices. Using the Country Report's account of Rachel Corrie's killing as an index for larger concerns, Patnaik noted that the way the report is constructed shapes and limits the narrative available to the Department of State itself and to the U.S. Government at large, and undermines its own ability to identify and assess patterns of gross human rights violations as required under U.S. law.



Ms. Patnaik, a cousin of Rachel Corrie and PhD candidate at the University of California - Berkeley, spoke about the Corrie family's ongoing efforts to seek accountability in the case of Rachel Corrie. The side panel discussed the role of the U.S. Government in oversight of corporations (such as Caterpillar, Inc.) that are complicit in human rights violations. It was convened by the International Federation of Human Rights, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the Western Shoshone Defense Project.



Katherine Gallagher, Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), spoke about the U.S. justice system's failure to hold corporations accountable for complicity in human rights violations. CCR previously represented the Corries and four Palestinian families whose members were killed or injured in Israeli military operations using Caterpillar D9 bulldozers. In 2005, they filed a lawsuit against Caterpillar, Inc. charging that the company continued to sell its machines and services long after being on notice that these are used to commit human rights violations in the Occupied Territories. In a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to dismiss Corrie v. Caterpillar, the Court stated that it was unwilling to infringe upon the powers of the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. Government, which appropriate funds for Israeli purchase of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers through U.S. Foreign Military Financing. Gallagher detailed ways that failure to monitor corporate involvement in human rights violations continues to undermine the U.S. commitment to international human rights law.



The United States Government will return to the UN in March to discuss its efforts to address the 228 recommendations made during the UPR. The Rachel Corrie Foundation applauds U.S. participation in the UPR and encourages the U.S. Government to fully comply with current laws governing foreign military assistance and the Congressional mandates for accurate and complete reporting of human rights violations in the annual Country Report on Human Rights Practices.



The Rachel Corrie Foundation's submission to the UPR process:

http://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/session9/US/RCF_RachelCorrieFoundation.pdf



The Center for Constitutional Rights' joint submission to the UPR process:

http://ccrjustice.org/files/USUPR_CorpAcct_Final_All.pdf



Draft report on Universal Periodic Review of the U.S.:

http://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/session9/US/A_HRC_WG.6_9_L.9_USA.pdf



For press related inquiries and further information, please contact:

Rebecca Pilcher

becca@rachelcorriefoundation.org

Phone: 360-754-3998



Forward email

October 23: Bulldozer driver testimony underscores lack of transparency in Corrie trial

Bulldozer driver testimony underscores lack of transparency in Corrie trial


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 23, 2010



Voice behind screen says soldiers don’t stop work



Haifa, Israel – The bulldozer driver who struck and killed Rachel Corrie in March 2003, in Rafah, Gaza, testified for the first time Thursday in the civil lawsuit filed by the Corrie family against the state of Israel, but did so under extraordinary protective measures that continue to underscore the lack of transparency in the investigation as well as the trial process.



The driver, Y.P., whose name was not released, is a 38-year-old Russian immigrant who came to Israel in 1995. He was the sole witness for the day and gave his testimony over four hours behind a makeshift partition, a measure the state claimed was necessary to protect his security. Attorneys for the Corries requested that the family be allowed to see the driver even if the public could not, but their appeals were denied.



Download this press release: English (pdf, 171.35 kB), Français (pdf, 176.13 kB)



“We were disappointed not to see the whole human being,” said Cindy Corrie, Rachel’s mother. “It is a personal affront that the state’s attorneys and Israeli government, on the basis of security, chose to keep our family from seeing the witness.”



Scores of journalists, human rights observers and members of the public were shut out of the proceedings Thursday. The courtroom has only two long rows of seats, nearly half of which were held for the first time by observers apparently from the State Attorney’s office and Ministry of Defense.



In over four hours of often confused testimony, Y.P. seemed to struggle to read and understand his own affidavit signed in April. He could not remember basic facts, such as the date of Rachel’s killing or time of day it happened. He repeatedly contradicted his own statements on the stand and testimony given to military police investigators in 2003.



Highlights of testimony include the following:



■Y.P stated that after he drove over Rachel and backed up, she was located between his bulldozer and the mound of earth that he had pushed, corroborating photographic evidence and testimony from international eyewitnesses given to the court in March. His testimony calls into question that of the commander inside this same bulldozer, whose written affidavit states that Rachel’s body was located in a different location, on the far side of the mound of earth created by the bulldozer. In court, Y.P. was asked if based on this contradiction he wanted to change his testimony. He firmly stated no.

■In testimony to military police investigators only three days after the incident, Y.P. said the blind spot in front of the bulldozer was 3 meters. In contradicting court testimony, he claimed the blind spot was 30 meters – ten times the distance first stated.

■Y.P. knew about regulations that the bulldozer was not to work within 10 meters of people. He was aware civilians were present, but said he was given orders to continue working. He said I’ m just a soldier. It was not my decision.

■He claimed he did not see Rachel before the event. Nor did he recall seeing her specifically at all that day, despite the fact that she had protested the bulldozer’s activity for several hours and was the only female activist wearing a bright orange fluorescent jacket.

Following the driver’s testimony, Cindy Corrie stated, “It was very difficult not to hear or detect anything in this witness’s words or voice that suggested remorse. Sadly, what I heard from the other side of the screen was indifference.”



The proceedings on Thursday were attended by representatives of the US Embassy, Advocates sans Frontiers, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), National Lawyers Guild, Adalah, and the Arab Association for Human Rights, many of whom have closely followed the hearings throughout the trial.



The next scheduled hearings are November 4 and 15 between the hours of 9:00-16:00 before Judge Oded Gershon at the Haifa, District Court, 12 Palyam St., Haifa, Israel. Additional court dates are expected to be announced soon.



Please visit the Trial Updates page for more information and changes to the court schedule.



For press related inquiries and further information, please contact:

Stacy Sullivan

stacy [at] rachelcorriefoundation.org

visit the Rachel Corrie Foundation website

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


OCTOBER 10, 2010



Corrie family appeals decision allowing

soldiers to testify behind screen



(Haifa, Israel) -- Lawyers for the family of Rachel Corrie filed an appeal with the Israeli Supreme Court on Sunday, challenging a decision to allow soldiers to testify behind a screen in the lawsuit filed against the State of Israel for the unlawful killing of the American peace activist in Rafah, Gaza.



State attorneys made the highly unusual request in court on Thursday, October 7 arguing that they were necessary to protect the soldiers' safety and prevent their images from being circulated. Haifa District Court Judge Oded Gershon granted the request, ruling that all but two soldiers, who were both already known to the public, would be permitted to provide their testimony hidden from public view.



Corrie attorneys opposed the motion, arguing that allowing the soldiers to testify behind a screen infringes upon the fundamental right to an open, fair and transparent trial. They argued that the government request was based on an overbroad security certificate issued by Defense Minister Ehud Barak in 2008, was not supported by concrete evidence to substantiate their concerns for the soldiers' safety or security. The lawyers will also ask the Supreme Court to review Judge Gerhson's decision not to allow the family to see the witnesses even if the public could not.



Attorney Hussein Abu Hussein, who represents the Corrie family, stated:





"An open and transparent judicial process is the only way to guarantee a fair trial. There is no reason why these soldiers should testify behind a screen. The government's request is a shameless attempt to add a cloud of secrecy to civil trial and shield the soldiers from the discomfort of telling the truth in an open court."



Attorneys for the family requested urgent review' of the appeal and decision made, prior to October 17, when testimony of the next soldier in the case is anticipated to resume.



Subsequent hearings are scheduled for October 17,18 and 21 between the hours of 9:00-16:00 before Judge Oded Gershon at the Haifa, District Court, 12 Palyam St., Haifa, Israel.



For press related inquiries and further information, please contact:

Stacy Sullivan

stacy@rachelcorriefoundation.org

Phone (Israel): 972-52-952-2143



For more information, visit the Rachel Corrie Foundation website.