New York Jews Condemn the Killing
of American Peace Activist
PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
Date: March 16, 2003
Contact: Lorne Lieb, (646) 246-1121
Israel/Palestine – Michael, 011-972-22772018
In Raffa Refugee Camp – Tom, 011-972-52694380 or
Richard, 011-972-67751205
NY JEWS CONDEMN KILLING OF AMERICAN PEACE ACTIVIST
American woman run over by Israeli Military bulldozer
while protecting Palestinian home
New York – A New York Jewish group today expressed
outrage and distress at the killing of an American
human rights activist in Gaza in the Rafah refugee
camp by the Israeli Military. Jews Against the
Occupation, which advocates for end to the Israeli
occupation of the West Bank and Gaza strip, condemned
this brutal Israeli assault on an American citizen who
was killed while protesting military abuses of
Palestinian rights.
Peace activist Rachel Corrie, 23, from Olympia,
Washington, was trying to stop an Israeli military
bulldozer from demolishing a home in the Rafah refugee
camp, witnesses said, when she was run over. She was
taken to Najar hospital in Rafah, where she died, said
Dr. Ali Moussa, a hospital administrator.
Greg Schnabel, 28, a peace activist from Chicago who
was with Corrie, said the protesters were in the house
of Dr. Samir Masri. "Rachel was alone in front of the
house as we were trying to get them to stop," he said.
"She waved for bulldozer to stop and waved. She fell
down and the bulldozer kept going. We yelled 'stop,
stop', and the bulldozer didn't stop at all. It had
completely run over her and then it reversed and ran
back over her," he said.
"Palestinian civilians are killed on a daily basis by
Israeli military bulldozers and the world is silent.
This must serve as a wakeup call to the world
community that the Israeli military must be held
accountable for their brutal and murderous acts," said
Steve Quester, a member of Jews Against The Occupation
and a former Hebrew school teacher who lived in Israel
for three years and worked as a human rights observer
last summer in the West Bank with The International
Solidarity Movement.
Israel receives over $3 billion in annual aid from the
US government, 75% of which is used to purchase
military equipment from the US. This allows the
Israeli government to purchase giant bulldozers
manufactured by US corporation Caterpillar and use
them as weapons against civilians.
"The occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is funded by
US taxpayers. As an American Jew, I cannot allow our
country to continue to finance an Israeli government
that kills innocent civilians, inflicts collective
punishment on whole cities and blatantly disregards
the moral principles that the Jewish religion
teaches," said Lorne Lieb, a member of Jews Against
The Occupation.
Jews Against The Occupation is a New York City based
group of Jewish community leaders, and part of a
growing movement of worldwide Jewish dissent against
the illegal, violent actions of the Israeli government
and the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East
Jerusalem.
www.jewsagainsttheoccupation.org