main page
"To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
|
click here for a bigger sunset
One small voice in the proud tradition of FreeBlogging*
Sunday, March 16, 2003
posted by gbarto at 11:59 PM:
American Student Killed by Israeli Bulldozer in Gaza StripGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (March 16) - An American woman in Gaza to protest Israeli operations was killed Sunday when she was run over by an Israeli bulldozer, witnesses and hospital officials said.I don't mean to be unnecessarily callous about this, and there is of course every reason to be upset. But... Rachel's fate was, alas, the fate faced by many Palestinians on a daily basis. In throwing in her lot with them, she took that risk.
Rachel Corrie, 23, a college student from Olympia, Wash., had been trying to stop the bulldozer from tearing down a building in the Rafah refugee camp, witnesses said. She was taken to Najar hospital in Rafah, where she died, said Dr. Ali Moussa, a hospital administrator...
Groups of international protesters have gathered in several locations in the West Bank and Gaza during two years of Palestinian violence, setting themselves up as ``human shields'' to try to stop Israeli operations.
Corrie was the first member of the groups, called ``International Solidarity Movement'' and backed by Palestinian groups, to be killed in the conflict. Several activists have been arrested in clashes with Israeli forces, and some have been deported by Israeli authorities.
So, why are the bad, mean Israelis bulldozing houses and taking less than absolute caution in doing so? Maybe because until a little bit ago you were taking your life into your own hands if you decided to eat dinner in a restaurant, or get an ice cream on a balmy afternoon. The Palestinian cause may be worthy and it may be noble. But the means by which some have sought to advance are not. Unwilling to accept the compromises they agreed to at Oslo, were offered by Barak, etc, the Palestinians have decided that war is the way to settle their struggle with a nation that has overwhelming military superiority. They turned to terrorism and to attacks on civilians that violate all the modern conventions on war. As they have sown, so have they reaped. Seen in one light, an American died trying to prevent the destruction of a house. But there is another view, the view that she had abandoned the freedoms and protections she enjoyed as an American citizen to go defend a way of life that is in fact a way of death. Sadly, she has met the fate that lies in store for the cause she was defending. It's a damn shame, but human shields are... only human. We offer prayers and condolences for her family, but hope they understand that when Rachel decided to do this, she accepted the risk. Whether clear-eyed or naive, I know not, but that's the risk you implicitly accept when you become a human shield. We hope it will give pause to others who might have mistaken this for fun and games.
* * *
French Elections, 1st round
Second round special page
Second Round Results Map
The TurkeyBlog main page contains only the 20 most recent entries.
To go further back, check the archive in the right hand bar.
