The mother of Rachel Corrie, the American activist who was killed in Gaza by Israeli bulldozers in 2003, said the US must hold Israel to account for the killing of Americans.
Cindy Corrie was at a press conference in Washington with families of Americans killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers in the occupied Palestinian territory, where she spoke about her daughter, Rachel, and the current events in Gaza and the West Bank.
The gathering, including Members of Congress, called for an end to Israeli impunity and for the release of Palestinian American child Mohammed Ibrahim, who was detained by Israel in February, aged just 15.
Members of Congress who participated in the conference included Rashida Tlaib, Mark Pocan, Lateefah Simon, Delia Ramirez, Summer Lee, and Pramila Jayapal, along with the families of American victims killed by Israel, including relatives of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, Sayfollah Musallet, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, and Rachel Corrie.
Cindy Corrie recounted the details of her daughter's trip to Palestine and her killing by the Israeli army as she peacefully attempted to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian family's home in Rafah.
"A US-made and funded Caterpillar D9R bulldozer operated by two Israeli soldiers ran over Rachel and crushed her to death… in May 2003, the Israeli military police closed its investigation and no charges were brought," she told those present.
One month before Rachel's death, she had sent a letter home describing what she was witnessing in Gaza, writing: "This has to stop. I think it is a good idea for us all to drop everything and devote our lives to making this stop."
Corrie explained how her family had tried for over a decade to obtain "truth and accountability" for their daughter, but all efforts had failed.
Despite more than 20 years having passed, Carrie Corrie and her supporters have not succeeded in holding those responsible for Rachel's death to account.
"In June 2004, the chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell wrote to us… that the department did not find the Israeli military police report to reflect an investigation that was thorough, credible and transparent," Corrie continued.
She added that it had also been documented in Senate testimony that "in addition to President Bush and Secretary Powell, a host of high-level State Department officials raised the matter with their counterparts in the Israeli government".
In 2008, the State Department’s Director of Overseas Citizen Services, Michelle Todd, wrote to the family: "We have consistently requested that the Government of Israel conduct a full and transparent investigation into Rachel's death. Our requests have gone unanswered or ignored. We will continue to raise this issue with the Government of Israel, but… we are not optimistic."
US State and Justice Department officials later informed Rachel's family that Washington would not conduct its own investigation, even though it acknowledged that the Israeli probe was not transparent.
"There ought to be consequences when countries that receive US military aid use that assistance in contravention of US law and fail to address their potential human rights violations. Israel receives billions in military aid annually," Corrie said.
She noted that Rachel's father often pointed out how the US government sends two conflicting messages to Israel; the first is a diplomatic request for an investigation, and the second is billions of dollars in military aid.
"Which message do you think the Israeli government hears?" she asked, adding that if there had been real consequences for Rachel's killing and others, families would not be standing there today telling the stories of loved ones killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers.
This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.