Awaiting a verdict in their civil suit against the Israeli government for the death of their daughter Rachel, Craig and Cindy Corrie were told by U.S. ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro that the Israeli Army’s (IDF) investigation into Rachel Corrie’s death was not as “thorough, credible or transparent” as it should have been, and that the U.S. remains dissatisfied with Israel’s decision to close its official investigation. The investigation concluded that Corrie’s death was an accident and that she had endangered herself by entering a combat zone.

Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old activist with the International Solidarity Movement, was crushed to death on March 16, 2003, as she tried to stop an Israeli army bulldozer from destroying Palestinian houses in Rafah, Palestine, near the Egypt-Gaza border. Some witnesses stated that Corrie was crushed by a bulldozer, while the IDF concluded that she died after being struck by falling debris. In addition, while the IDF reported that the driver of the bulldozer could not see her, witnesses said there was nothing to obscure the driver’s view.

In 2005 Corrie’s family, who are from Washington State, filed a civil suit in Haifa, Israel, against the Israeli government over the incident. A verdict is expected on Tuesday. “The lawsuit is just a small step in our family’s nearly decade-long search for truth and justice,” said Craig Corrie. “The mounting evidence presented before the court underscores a broken system of accountability.”

-Matt Bewig

To Learn More:

U.S.: Israeli Probe into Rachel Corrie's Death wasn’t “Credible” (by Amira Hass, Haaretz) (behind paywall)

Israeli Inquiry into Rachel Corrie Death Insufficient, US Ambassador Tells Family (by Matthew Kallman, The Guardian)

Film Festivals Become Centers of Controversy (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)