Four days before the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Rachel Corrie, 23, was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer while protesting the demolition of Palestinian homes in Gaza. The bulldozer was an American vehicle sold to Israel under a US Department of Defense program.
A sham Israeli military investigation concluded that Rachel’s death was the result of an accident and closed the case. More than two decades later, her parents continue to seek justice.
In a recent interview, Rachel’s father, Craig Corrie, did not mince his words when referring to the Israeli military’s “self-investigations.” “Israel does not investigate, it covers up,” he said.
Last week, in a call with prominent Palestinian activists, Rachel’s parents sought to comfort the parents of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, another American woman killed while protesting illegal Israeli settlements in Nablus. An Israeli sniper shot her in the head.
Efforts are currently underway to cover up Ayşenur’s murder, as they have been Rachel’s. On September 9, U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel refused to acknowledge that the young American activist had been killed by an Israeli sniper, continuing a long tradition of “defending” Israel’s human rights violations and war crimes, even at the cost of the lives of American citizens.
The next day, an Israeli military statement attempted to absolve the occupation of any intentional wrongdoing, though the army admitted more than Patel was willing to say. “It is very likely that she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by (Israeli army) fire that was not directed at her, but at the main instigator of the riot,” the army said.
Both the Corrie and Eygi families have called for an independent investigation by the US State Department into their daughters’ murders. Those calls have fallen on deaf ears, with US officials saying Israel is capable of accountability.
“This is not acceptable. This has to change. And we will make that clear to the most senior members of the Israeli government,” Blinken said of Ayşenur’s killing, sidestepping questions about an independent investigation.
The murder of Rachel and Ayşenur was not an accident, any more than the murder of more than 41,000 Palestinian men, women, and children over the past year. These were premeditated and calculated killings, fueled by dehumanization, impunity, and the desire to take advantage of unrest to accelerate illegal settlement. And Rachel and Ayşenur are not the only American victims of Israeli terrorism.
In 2022, Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist, was killed by Israeli snipers in the West Bank. In January of this year, Omar Assad, an 80-year-old Palestinian-American, died after being held for several hours by Israeli soldiers near Ramallah. In April, the Israeli military killed American aid worker Jacob Flickinger and six others who were part of a World Central Kitchen convoy.
In August, a New Jersey teacher was shot in the leg while protesting illegal Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank. His name has been withheld for security reasons. “The money I pay in taxes as a teacher probably paid for the bullet they put in me,” he told Zeteo.
Days after the Israelis shot dead the American teacher, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved the sale of an additional $20 billion in military equipment to Israel, including F-15 fighter jets, $774 million in tank rounds, $60 million in high-explosive mortar rounds and $583 million in military vehicles.
At the September 9 press conference, Zeteo’s Prem Thakker asked Patel a pointed question: “How many more Palestinians and Americans killed (and) raped will it take before this administration actually announces a change in policy?” Patel responded by rambling on about the U.S. administration’s failed efforts to secure a ceasefire.
The murder of these American citizens should serve as a wake-up call to all Americans: Israel can kill you and your loved ones, and your government will do nothing to stop it. In fact, your government will insist that the perpetrator is capable of investigating himself. Meanwhile, it will continue to fund Israel to the tune of billions of dollars a year, supply it with the weapons and machinery needed to maintain and expand its occupation, and perpetrate an ongoing genocide.
They will also actively protect Israel from accountability, within its own structures, before international courts and the United Nations.
Shireen’s fate is a perfect example of the impunity that the United States has guaranteed Israel. Israeli authorities have not been ashamed to spit on the memory of someone like Shireen by denying her justice, but have also literally beaten the pallbearers at her funeral. Last year, Israeli soldiers destroyed the monument that honored her in Jenin.
What was in that coffin was not only Shireens’ body, but all the empty slogans and condolences of the US government when the blood of a Palestinian-American or an American defending innocent Palestinians is shed.
But while American officials are eager to protect this deadly status quo, a narrative is emerging at home that examines it and asks why. Why are Blinken, the State Department, and successive administrations engaging in performative politics that ignores America’s ability to enforce rules and punish Israel, while bringing the hammer down on other international actors for similar crimes? When do allies become too costly?
Yes, the Zionist lobby plays a nefarious role in securing American acquiescence, but the current public discourse, largely spurred by the genocide in Gaza – as well as the murder of Americans – will accelerate the answers to these questions over time and ultimately end the Israeli occupation.
I end this article with a personal request to all who read it: talk about Israel’s war crimes, the occupation, the illegal settlements and the genocide in Gaza with your friends and loved ones. Change begins with a kind word.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Tel Aviv Tribune.