A moment for Rachel in the epoch of war

At 23, Rachel Corrie was the person many people dream of becoming: passionate, giving, courageous to the point of risking her life. One-on-one, friends say, she was as soft as a petal. Which makes the circumstances of her death — crushed by an Israeli army bulldozer on Sunday — all the more brutal for the family and friends she leaves behind in Washington’s capital.

Although her supporters stop short of calling her a martyr, some said her death will fuel the peace movement at a time when war with Iraq looms. Corrie was outside the town of Rafah acting the part of a human shield. She stood in the way of a bulldozer that was about to wreck a Palestinian home. The bulldozer was either digging out bombs (Israel’s version) or razing neighbourhoods for a new wall Israel wants to build (the Palestinian version).

Corrie and other peace activists believed the bulldozer would stop. The bulldozer inched forward, lurched and caused the ground to give way, making Corrie fall into the path of the vehicle. The bulldozer, witnesses said, moved forward and then backward over Corrie’s body. Her head and chest were crushed.

The Israeli military called it ‘‘a regrettable accident,’’ but blamed the activists for behaving recklessly in a dangerous zone. The US government has asked for an investigation. Fellow activists gathered for a candlelight vigil on Sunday night in Olympia, and again on Monday afternoon at a downtown park to honour their fallen colleague, and to rally the community to continue the work that Corrie died for. (LATWP)