Kirkby Times feels that it is right to run the following story, although it has little to do with Kirkby, or so it seems. The story is one you may have noticed in the media of late, it was not a big story because events in the Iraq mean that places like Palestine, will be getting a vastly reduced coverage. The story concerned involved an American peace campaigner in Palestine who was crushed to death by an armored Israeli Bulldozer.
Below is some text taken from the electronic intifada, an online news service reporting on the Occupied Territories of Palestine.
The Israeli bulldozer that ran over and killed American peace activist Rachel Corrie, 23, in the Gaza Strip today had killed before. A few weeks ago, on March 3, an Israeli bulldozer killed a nine-month pregnant Palestinian woman, Nuha Sweidan, while destroying the house next door in a dilapidated Gaza refugee camp. Palestinian witnesses said that Mrs. Sweidan, 33, bled to death under the rubble as she cradled her 18-month-old daughter. Her unborn baby also died.
Rachel Corrie and Nuha Sweidan probably never met, but they will forever be linked as victims of Israel's 35-year occupation of Palestinian lands in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
They are both victims of Israeli war crimes. The Geneva Conventions stipulate that civilian populations are to be respected and protected during hostilities. Civilians are not to be attacked directly, regardless of the motivation, even in retaliation for attacks on other civilians. To attack civilian populations intentionally is a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and thus a war crime. Both Rachel Corrie and Nuha Sweidan were killed during military actions against a civilian population, in Rachel's case, during a house demolition.
The pictures we show may well be disturbing to some, but we publish them here to remind people about Israel, the Fascists of the Middle East. It is also worth remembering that Rachel gave her life to help others.
A clearly marked Rachel Corrie, holding a megaphone, confronts an Israeli bulldozer driver attempting to demolish a Palestinian home, Rafah, Occupied Gaza, 16 March 2003. (ISM Handout)
Other peace activists tend to Rachel after being injured by the Israeli bulldozer driver, Rafah, Occupied Gaza, 16 March 2003. (ISM Handout)
Rachel Corrie lies on the ground fatally injured by the Israeli bulldozer, Rafah, Occupied Gaza, 16 March 2003. (ISM Handout)
Rachel dead in Najjar hospital, Rafah, Occupied Gaza. Ha'aretz newspaper reported that Dr. Ali Musa, a doctor at Al-Najjar, stated that the cause of death was "skull and chest fractures". (Mohammad Al-Moghair)
The Israel Palestinian situation is the very root of the current events in Iraq. Sept 11th was an attack on America which had it roots in the struggle of the Arab peoples.
The Sept 11 hijackers were made up almost exclusively of Arabs, and those hijackers
would have been well acquainted with the reality of Palestinian people being shot
bombed and bulldozed out of their homelands. We have all seen the suicide bombings
in Israel, and whilst attacks on innocent civilians are to be condemned, it must
be understood that a Palestinian strapping on explosives is only doing so because
the Enemy they face is stronger and utterly ruthless in its execution of its duties.
The Israelis kill by government sanction. Below are the figures of deaths and
injuries which cover the period form 29 Sept 2000 to the 8th of Dec 2002.
Palestinians: 1,926 deaths and 21,240 injuries in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Subtotal since March 29, 2002 invasion (termed by Israel as "Operation Defensive Shield") is 669 deaths and 2,687 injuries.
These figures are likely underestimates due to PRCS inability to access many
areas and the many people who 'disappeared' during Israel's invasion of Jenin Refugee Camp.
Israelis: 691 deaths and 4,908 injuries. Death stats to 10 October, injury stats
to 28 November 2002.
Figures from the electric intifada information services. See link below.
click here forElectronic Intifada online
Rachel was working for the International Solidarity movement and we thank
them for allowing the photos to be reproduced. You can veiw there website by clicking on the link below
International Solidarity Movement
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