Rachel Corrie was Crushed by an Israeli Military Bulldozer, Tom Hurndall was Shot in the Head by an Israeli Soldier. Today on the 36th Anniversary of the Occupied Territories, we Speak with the Parents of these Two International Peace Activists. Corrie s family is supporting resolution HCR111 which calls for an independent investigation into Rachel s death and for the U.S. to work with the Israeli government to ensure the safety of activists in the Occupied Territories; Rafeef Ziadah, who Lost her Parents in the 1982 Massacre at the Shatilla Refugee Camp, Speaks About Life as a Palestinian Refugee. Rafeef hid under a bed while the massacre went on around her. She was four years old. She now works for SUSTAIN - Stop U.S. Tax-Funded Aid to Israel Now.
8:00-8:01 Billboard 8:01-8:06 Headlines 8:06-8:07 One Minute Music Break 8:07-8:58 Rachel Corrie was Crushed by an Israeli Military Bulldozer, Tom Hurndall was Shot in the Head by an Israeli Soldier. Today on the 36th Anniversary of the Occupied Territories, we Speak with the Parents of these Two International Peace Activists Today is the 36th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. On June 6th 1967, Israeli forces captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. 36 years later, the brutal occupation continues. In less than a month, Israeli forces killed or seriously injured three peace activists working in the Occupied Territories. On March 16th Rachel Corrie attempted to block a bulldozer from demolishing the home of a Palestinian doctor the Gaza town of Rafah. Eye-witnesses say Rachel was sitting directly in the path of the bulldozer holding a megaphone and wearing a fluorescent jacket as the driver advanced towards her. The bulldozer continued forward and ran over Rachel, crushing her with the lowered bulldozer blade. She was 23 years old. A US congressional resolution demanding an independent inquiry into Rachel s death has been buried in committee, leaving the Israeli military's investigation - which cleared itself of any wrongdoing - as the only official investigation. Corrie was set to graduate from Evergreen State College in Olympia this spring. Just weeks later 24-year-old Brian Avery of New Mexico, was shot in the face in Jenin. He has regained consciousness and is able to communicate by writing messages. But his face is said to be shattered, with his tongue split in two. He remains in critical condition and may never speak again. Eyewitnesses and members of the ISM say Avery was shot by an Israeli tank. Israel said the shooting is under investigation. A week later, British peace activist Tom Hurndall was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier. Wearing a bright orange vest, he was trying to help Palestinian children out of the line of Israeli fire. Tom is now in a coma and suffers severe brain damage. The Israeli military announced on May 10th that all foreigners entering the Gaza Strip will be required to sign waivers absolving the Israeli army from any responsibility if the army shoots them. * Craig Corrie, Rachel Corrie s father. * Cindy Corrie, Rachel Corrie s mother. * Anthony Hurndall, Tom Hurndall s father. * David Rovics, musician playing live in the studio. Link: http://www.palsolidarity.org Rafeef Ziadah who lost her parents in the 1982 Massacre at the Sabra and Shatilla Refugee Camps speaks about life as a Palestinian refugee On September 18, 1982, the Lebanese Christian militia forces allied to Israeli forces began slaughtering up to 2,000 unarmed Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps outside Beirut. The massacre unfolded over three days when Israel allowed its Lebanese Christian Phalangist militia allies into the refugee camps. Many of the victims were stabbed and a large number of women were murdered after being gang-raped. The man who is now the Prime Minister of Israel, General Ariel Sharon, was in overall command of the Israeli forces at the time. Then, he claimed there were 2,000 "terrorists" in the camps. But the subsequent Israeli Kahan commission reported that Israeli troops surrounding the camps knew what was happening. The Israeli inquiry also found Sharon "indirectly responsible," and he was forced to resign. * Rafeef Ziadah, Palestinian living in the U.S., she works for SUSTAIN (Stop U.S. Tax-Funded Aid to Israel Now) and is a survivor of the 1982 massacre at the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps in Lebanon where her parents her killed. Link: http://www.sustaincampaign.org 8:58-8:59 Outro and Credits Democracy Now! is produced by Kris Abrams, Mike Burke, Angie Karran, Sharif Abdul Kouddous, Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press with help from Noah Reibel and Vilka Tzouras. Mike Di Filippo is our music maestro and engineer. Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Emily Kunstler, Orlando Richards, Simba Rousseau, Rafael delaUz, Gabriel Weiss, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Karen Ranucci, Fatima Mojadiddy, Denis Moynihan and Jenny Filipazzo.
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