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1) A Year Of Silence Since Rachel Corrie died -
commemorate Rachel at National Demo with ISM London - 20/03/04

ISM London is calling for people to join us to commemorate Rachel,
the ideals for which she stood, and the policies that she protested;
on Saturday's National Demonstration in London.

We will be meeting in Speaker's Corner, Hyde Park (nearest tube
Marble Arch) at 12 noon under an ISM London/ Justice For Rachel
banner. Please come and join us.

For more information on Rachel, please see:
 http://www.rachelcorrie.org.

There will also be an ISM stall at Trafalgar Square during the
demonstration, feel free to come over to find out more about ISM and
our activities in Palestine and London.


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2) A Year Of Lies - National Demo. - 20/03/04

National Demonstration:
A year of lies 20/03/03 - 20/03/04

No More LIES Mr Blair!

From Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square, London.

Saturday 20 March

Assemble 12 Noon Hyde Park (nearest tube Marble Arch)
Marching to Trafalgar Square

Join the demonstration to tell the government what you think about
its shameful record on the war, the lies and the inadequacy of the
Hutton and Butler Inquiries.

For an outline of the events leading up to the demo and for up to
date information on the demo, please log onto
 http://www.stopwar.org.uk


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3) In memory of Rachel Corrie

(Piece written for Rachel Corrie by a Palestinian ISM colleague/
friend)

When she died, my friend Rachel Corrie left us grieving in immense
pain. Now it is a year since she was killed and we still miss her
deeply. I still remember her lovely spirit, strong personality and
laughter as if she was still around. In Rafah, every shop, street,
and devastated refugee camp has a living memory of her kind smile and
gentle voice. Rachel was very compassionate, intelligent, patient and
calm. She was genuinely concerned about the world's problems
everywhere, including Palestine and Iraq. My memory is still able to
recall the image of her participating in the demonstration against
the war on Iraq. On that day in February 2003, Rachel showed strong
opposition to the build up to the then inevitable war and was deeply
regretful about its illegality. She knew as any sensible person on
this earth, that such a war was going to engulf the dreams of the
Iraqi children, steal the resources of their homeland, and force away
their humanity and right to live a peaceful existence, leaving them
in the coma of the bleak prison that is occupation.

Rachel was a very warm and extremely serene person. I am cheeky by
nature and like to play tricks on my friends, but never managed to
wind her up. I used to impersonate her voice sometimes, even during
serious situations, but always found her taking it easy, smiling, and
saying in her calm, slow voice "Why are you impersonating me,
Mohammed?" I also remember the day when Rachel was waiting for one of
her Palestinian friends to come and visit her in the ISM Rafah
office. She asked us if we could find her some clean clothes to wear
and we found her a small green sweater that was too small and didn't
fit at all. We all laughed at her, and I thought that she would get
frustrated, but was surprised to find her dealing with the situation
by being incredibly humble.

The image of Rachel's face shining in the morning sun on March 16th
is carved into my memory. Rachel was not as she usually used to be.
She was spaced out and sitting alone smoking in the reception room of
the ISM office. I noticed her and read her eyes and facial
expressions and realised she was concerned about something. I imagine
that she was contemplating the peoples' suffering and that she
herself did not know how to bring about its end. I tried to invade
the silence around her in an attempt to bring her back to her
cheerful mood. She was about to smoke the last cigarette in her
packet when I asked her to give me the cigarette to smoke and I was
shocked when she shouted in my face saying, "This is my last
cigarette, and you knew that I want to smoke it. Go and get
cigarettes for yourself!" I felt embarrassed, but quickly she smiled
like an angel and kindly suggested that we share it. This was usual
of her, and those who knew her personally will say instantly that she
was incredibly gentle, considerate and receptive to others.

Rachel's death in Rafah at the hand of the illegal and brutal Israeli
occupation was not just an incident for the people in the Holy Land
who have suffered this occupation for the past fifty years with tears
and pain. Her death meant an incredible amount to me personally and
to every Palestinian who knew her, as well as those who did not know
her. It was a terrible shock to everyone in Rafah, where no one could
believe that a young American woman would be targeted and crushed to
death in front of international eyewitnesses in daylight by an
American made D-9 Caterpillar bulldozer used by the Israeli
occupation army to destroy Palestinian civilian homes. We were all
shocked and were not able to cope with what happened. Not a single
Palestinian ever imagined that the Israeli occupation forces, who
kill our sons, brothers and friends, bulldoze our olive groves and
destroy our homes with the breaking of every new day, would
intentionally kill in cold blood a citizen of a government like the
US, which is blindly supportive of Israel. We had wished for Rachel -
and every other international peace activist who came to Rafah - to
go back safely and meet again with their family to enjoy the peace
that we are not allowed. Whatever words we may express can't re-pay
the precious sacrifice Rachel offered.

I think the presence of the International Solidarity Movement in my
town Rafah, was the most appropriate step to be taken by these
insightful and caring people. It was a step in the right direction
towards finding peace and justice in Palestine. Before I met the ISM
team in Rafah last year, I used to think about our suffering as
Palestinians, abandoned to face the torture while the world watched
in silence. I used to feel that not only the occupation has to be
held responsible but the whole world. However, after I met brave
people like Rachel and Tom Hurndall, I realised that there is still
hope in this life and there are people trying to do something - at
least there are ears listening to our cries. We believe that the
internationals that took the initiative to volunteer in the occupied
territories have done many good things not only in terms of tangible
achievements, but also by increasing our faith in non-violent
resistance. They made a meaningful impact in our minds and hearts. We
appreciate their sacrifices and feel amazed by the fact that they
left their beautiful lives, friends and families and travelled all
the way to Palestine to defend real human values and to work
peacefully alongside us to bring justice and an end to the
occupation. The international presence must continue in Palestine and
people who care about justice must not give up the fight, whatever
the difficulties and always remember that the occupation was
established illegally and will not last forever.

Rachel's presence in Rafah allowed her to witness how horrific, ugly
and brutal the Israeli occupation is. When she arrived, she saw with
her own eyes the reality that millions of people in her country are
kept ignorant of. She saw how Palestinian children and innocent
civilians are shot every day, how their homes are demolished by the
occupation bulldozers along the border line, how they sleep their
nights to wake up the following morning bidding farewell to their
dreams and hopes of living out their lives as others do.

Unfortunately, the first anniversary of Rachel's death has come and
still the destruction of Palestinian families' homes is continuing
and Israeli army invasions are still happening. 1700 homes have been
erased from the face of the earth by the Israeli army military
bulldozers, including those belonging to the Abu Jameel and Al-Shaer
families, with whom Rachel and Tom stayed. The situation in the Gaza
Strip in general, and Rafah in particular, became very complicated
ever since the Israeli authorities made it extremely difficult (if
not actually impossible) for all international human rights
observers, NGO employees and even journalists to gain access through
the Erez checkpoint. This is the only way for internationals to get
to the giant prison that is the Gaza Strip. Sharon's government is
forcing internationals to sign a waiver at that checkpoint which
amounts to signing your death certificate in advance. The reason is
simple, to scare people and keep them far away from the truth,
allowing the IOF troops to perform their crimes in darkness without
being observed and causing outrage the world over. We, the
Palestinian people can't get our voice heard in the rest of the
world, so it is vital for international witnesses to carry our
message.

It is so depressing to think of the way Rachel's murder was dealt
with by the American authorities, compared to the British handling of
the Tom Hurndall case. We believe that there has been inaccurate
coverage by the American media that is controlled by the Zionist
lobby. If I am to blame someone, I will hold the American media
responsible for perpetrating ridiculous and false claims about
Rachel's personality and the truth about how she died. Also, there is
a lack of responsible individuals in the US government. I find this
very disturbing; as do those who knew Rachel and the honourable cause
she died for. It is saddening to know that the Israeli government has
permanently closed the investigations into Rachel's case. As a
Palestinian, I found it shocking to find such a negative reaction
from the US government over the killing of one of its citizens. I had
thought the US would take action, at least on a political level, by
asking Israel to respect and put a value on human life and cease the
targeting of innocent Palestinians and internationals. Unfortunately,
nothing has happened and the US government has remained silent and
avoided denouncing the Israeli army's crime. There must be an
independent investigation into Rachel's death to prove how she was
killed. We owe at least this to the memory of this courageous young
woman for risking her life to give life to others, to bring criminals
to justice and for raising awareness around the world about the
terrible reality of the Israeli occupation, with atrocities committed
against the Palestinian people on a daily basis and ethnic cleansing
policies in force.

Rachel's death had a very clear meaning for me. She was an American
witness to her own government's hostile policy regarding the
Palestinian cause. It was a distinct message from Sharon's government
to the international community that they simply don't care. They
didn't want her to return home and for her voice to awaken people in
the land of slumber. It was a warning to brave people to stop coming
to Palestine, to stop witnessing the oppression, to stop observing
and documenting the so-called "civilised" behaviour of the fourth
strongest army in the world. It was a message to the Palestinians to
stop seeking help from their friends around the world, and to stop
Palestinian people from daring to continue an effective form of
struggle using non- violent resistance. This occupation knows that,
in the end, it will be condemned for turning its lethal military
power against unarmed people.

When Rachel's parents visited Rafah they gave us further inspiration
and raised our spirits. We never imagined how strong they would be in
coping with the situation, seeing the place where their daughter
lived her last days and where she was killed. Meeting them made a
huge impression on me, especially Rachel's mother who reminded me so
much of Rachel I felt I wanted to call her Rachel all the time. The
Corries' visit to Rafah also meant a lot to the Palestinian families
along the border with whom Rachel stayed. Those families felt that
they were not alone even if the army may have killed their relatives,
destroyed their homes and crushed their friend Rachel to death.

On the first anniversary of Rachel's death, I would like to say to
her:

Your body has passed away, but your dear memory flows in our veins.
Your friends and the people who loved you will remember you forever
with love and as an inspiration - even if they bulldoze all the
Palestinian homes along the border, your innocent spirit will live
on. We are all proud of you and what you did. You remain a beacon of
light and hope illuminating an age of darkness. You remain alive in
the heart of every Palestinian, and your blood, which mixed with our
soil, remains a symbol opposing injustice and oppression. Rachel, you
were an American citizen with Palestinian blood.