Cindy and Craig Corrie with PCRF organizers.

TOLEDO, Ohio — On Sat., Feb. 7, the Toledo chapter of the Palestine Children Relief Fund (PCRF) held its annual dinner and honored the memory of activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer while trying to protect a Palestinian home from demolition in 2003.

At the start of the event, Ruba Farah, the president of the Toledo PCRF Chapter, welcomed the crowd and called for a moment of silence as tribute to Toledo Mayor Michael D. Collins, who died Friday, Feb. 6.

Corrie’s parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie, took the podium to speak about their daughter’s work in Palestine, her dreams, talents and compassion.

Corrie was a writer, artist and political activist who traveled to Palestine with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), an organization of activists from around the world with the focus of assisting the Palestinian people.

Last week, ISM member Kayla Mueller was killed in a Jordanian air strike after having been captured by the “Islamic State” group in Syria.

Cindy Corrie said her daughter’s interest in the Middle East was sparked by the 9/11 attacks as she searched for the root causes behind the tragedy.

“As the U.S. turned to war, Rachel turned to our community,” Corrie said. “She connected to local peace groups that led her to the issue of Israel and Palestine.”

She added that Rachel felt her work in her home state of Washington was missing an immediate connection to the people impacted by U.S. foreign policy. Rachel Corrie then joined ISM and traveled to Israel, she visited the West Bank and went to Gaza, which was still under Israeli military occupation at the time. 

The Israeli army was destroying homes along Gaza’s border with Egypt.

“I don’t know of many of children here ever existed without tank shell-holes in their walls and the towers of an occupying army surveying them constantly from the near horizons,” Rachel Corrie wrote of then-occupied strip while working with ISM. “I think, although I am not entirely sure, that even the smallest of these children understand that life is not like this everywhere.”

On the fateful day of March 16, 2003, Rachel and other ISM members challenged two Israeli bulldozers trying to raze Palestinian homes, including the home of a family named Nasrallah. 

“There were two Israeli soldiers in the bulldozer, a driver and a commander who was supposed to be another set of eyes,” Cindy Corrie said. “At about 5 p.m. that day in a run toward Rachel and the Nasrallah home, one of the bulldozers did not stop as they had before activists that day. The bulldozer continued over Rachel, paused and then backing, went over her again.”

According to Cindy Corrie, members of the Nasrallah family witnessed the incident from a crack through the wall of their garden. 

Demanding justice

Since her death, Rachel Corrie has become an emblem of the Palestinian cause in the United States.

Asked how he thinks Rachel would feel about her becoming a symbol for Palestinian struggle, Craig Corrie told The Arab American News his late daughter would be “surprised and embarrassed. 

“She wanted the discussion to be about Palestinians.”

Cindy Corrie stressed Rachel’s sense of globalism. 

“She demanded justice and respect for all,” she said.

After Rachel Corrie’s death, an Israeli military investigation cleared the operators of the bulldozers of any wrongdoing, claiming that the woman’s death was accidental. However, her parents filed a civil lawsuit challenging the findings of the Israeli army. In 2012, a judge upheld the results of the initial investigation.

The Corries said they were not shocked by the verdict and their lawyer had prepared them for what would come out of the trial. 

“It was a single judge, no jury,” Craig Corrie said. “We were not terribly surprised.”

However, his wife was more optimistic about the outcome of the proceedings before the ruling. 

“I hoped that somehow the judge would find it within him to acknowledge that not everything the Israeli military does is right,” she said. “But it is obvious that the courts support the occupation.” 

Craig Corrie said he received a call from then-President George W. Bush after Rachel’s death, conveying a promise by then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to conduct a thorough, credible and transparent investigation in the matter. 

“It remains the stance of the U.S. government that the investigation was not thorough, credible or transparent as it should have been,” he added.

The Corries said individuals in the U.S. government were supportive and sympathetic to their cause. 

“But at the end of the day, a head of state made a promise to another head of state and it fell to the family to follow through with that unfulfilled promise,” Craig Corrie said.

Despite the judge’s decision, the Corries believe their pursuit of the case was necessary for justice. 

“It was clear from the trial that the investigation was compromised,” Craig Corrie said. “There were conflicting testimonies. The lies came out. Now we have some sort of record to show the truth.”

While the Israeli military official version of the incident is that the driver did not see Rachel, Craig Corrie said other claims were made during the trial, including an account that she died after a wall fell on her, not directly by the bulldozer. 

“The findings were outrageous,” he said.

After the verdict in 2012, the Rachel Corrie case regained international coverage. Her parents appeared on major international media networks in the aftermath of the judge’s decision.

Craig Corrie recalled an interview with CNN, where the interviewer concluded the segment by telling an Israeli military spokesperson: “There is one eyewitness we cannot interview— Rachel Corrie.”

He said given the media’s bias, that statement was powerful and critical of the Israeli military. 

“The discourse is changing on the Palestinian issue,” said Craig Corrie. “I hope we had anything to do with that. At least, we are on the right side.”

The Corries appealed the verdict to the Israeli supreme court. The high court has not yet decided whether to look at the case. 

PCRF announces Gaza cancer hospital

In addition to the comments by the Corries, the event also focused on plans to provide medical help to the children in Gaza.

“We want to show you where our funds go and what it is that you, as a community, do for us,” Farah said. 

Sarah Alrayyes, the PCRF national chapters’ coordinator, announced a project by the organization to build a cancer hospital for children in Gaza. 

“This project in Gaza is important for two main reasons,” she said. “There is a medical need in Gaza. There are thousands of the children who are diagnosed with cancer and treatment is not available; and there is the political aspect of it. There is a siege in Gaza and that stops patients from going in and out for treatment. This is not only about the children of Gaza; this is an issue of humanity, of kids who are deprived of their right to be healthy.”

Farah said that since PCRF cannot bring the children out of Gaza, it wants to deliver the treatment to them through the planned center with the help of contributors.  

Alrayyes displayed a video of Gazan children suffering from cancer who spoke about the dire need for a cancer hospital in the besieged strip.

“Treatment for my case is not available here,” Isra’, 16, who is suffering from a cancerous tumor in her spine, said in the video. “What I would really like to see here is a hospital for cancer patients that’s as good as those abroad.”

The Gaza project was inspired by Beit Jala’s the Huda Al-Masri Pediatric Cancer Department, which is the first hospital for children with cancer in Palestine, according to Alrayyes. 

The West Bank department was named for Huda Al-Masri, the late wife of PCRF CEO Bill Sosebee. She died from leukemia in 2009. 

In addition to medical services, the hospital also provides tutoring sessions for children who miss school to receive medical care.

“Our next big project was inspired by how wonderful our center in Beit Jala is doing,” Alrayyes said.

Alrayyes said the PCRF tends to the medical needs of Palestinian children either by sending sick kids to Western countries for treatment or sending medical missions to the Palestinian territories. The missions, which are comprised of specialized doctors and surgeons, take care of patients at local hospitals and train local medical personnel, according to Alrayyes.

The nonprofit funds and organizes the trips from donors’ contributions, Alrayyes said, but it also relies on a large network of volunteering medical professionals and individuals who donate services to the sick children. 

Alrayyes told The Arab American News that the organization’s work goes beyond the border of Palestine.

“We are an American-based non-sectarian, international nonprofit,” she said. “We help any child in need, whether in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon or Palestine.”

To donate to the PCRF, visit pcrf.net.