- Title: ISRAEL: U.S. activist Rachel Corrie's family to appeal verdict on her death.
- Date: 28th August 2012
- Summary: HAIFA, ISRAEL (AUGUST 28, 2012) (REUTERS) NEWS CONFERENCE BY THE CORRIE FAMILY AFTER THE COURT VERDICT (SOUNDBITE) (English) RACHEL CORRIE'S MOTHER, CINDY CORRIE SAYING: "We are of course deeply saddened and deeply troubled by what we heard today by Judge Oded Gershon. I believe that this was a bad day, not only for our family, but a bad day for human rights, for humanity
- Embargoed: 12th September 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Israel
- Country: Israel
- Topics: Crime,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA2M1YJG22PMEZJVMB8RBGKAO9S
- Story Text: The family of American pro-Palestinian peace activist Rachel Corrie say they will appeal the verdict of an Israeli court, which cleared the army over her death.
An Israeli court on Tuesday (August 28) cleared Israel's military of any blame for the death of American activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed by an army bulldozer during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Gaza.
Corrie's family had accused Israel of intentionally and unlawfully killing their 23-year-old daughter in March 2003, launching a civil case in the northern city of Haifa after a military investigation found the army was not responsible.
Judge Oded Gershon said the death was a "regrettable accident" and invoked a clause that absolved the army because the incident had happened during a war-time situation.
"She did not distance herself from the area, as any thinking person would have done," he told a packed courtroom.
Corrie, from Olympia, Washington, had joined a small group of international activists trying to stop the Israeli army from demolishing houses in the southern Gaza town of Rafah during the height of a Palestinian uprising.
Her friends said she was wearing a bright orange vest at the time of the incident and was standing on a mound of earth, but had lost her footing as the bulldozer advanced. The driver said he had not seen her and did not hear the cries to stop.
Corrie's mother, Cindy, denounced the verdict and accused the court of looking to shield the military from justice.
"We are of course deeply saddened and deeply troubled by what we heard today by Judge Oded Gershon. I believe that this was a bad day, not only for our family, but a bad day for human rights, for humanity, for the rule of law and also for the country of Israel," she told reporters.
"The diplomatic process between the United States and Israel failed us and today the Israeli court system demonstrated its failure to us," she continued.
The family said it would appeal the ruling.
"I think the decision to continue the work (by the Israeli Army) at that day was far from reasonable decision. I believe that we could have a good chance to change this decision through the review by the appeal that we are aiming to issue to the Supreme Court," said the Corrie family lawyer Hussein Abu Hussein.
Corrie's death made her a symbol of the uprising, and while her family battled through the courts to establish who was responsible for her killing, her story was dramatised on stage in a dozen countries and told in the book "Let Me Stand Alone".
Judge Gershon said soldiers had done their utmost to keep people away from the site on the day of the protest, adding that visibility had been poor and that Corrie had not been careful about where she had stood.
The Israeli army said it needed to demolish houses to prevent guerrillas from using the area as cover for attacks. Palestinians said it was a form of collective punishment and the United Nations had condemned the practice.
"It was a very regrettable accident and not an intentional act," the judge said, dismissing any claims for damages. He ruled that the family would have to pay its own legal costs but not those of the defence.
Senior U.S. officials criticised the original military investigation into the case, saying it had been neither thorough nor credible. But the judge said the inquiry had been appropriate and pinned no blame on the army.
Few Israelis showed much sympathy for Corrie's death, which took place during the second Palestinian Intifada (uprising) in which thousands of Palestinians were killed and hundreds of Israelis died in suicide bombings.
Israel's far-right Yisrael Beitenu party, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition, heralded the verdict as "vindication after vilification". - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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