18 March 2003

OLYMPIA, Wash.-- American peace activist Rachel Corrie's death in a Palestinian refugee camp could be a catalyst for change in U.S. policy toward Israel, friends and professors on Corrie's college campus say.

Corrie, 23, was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer on Sunday while protesting the destruction of Palestinian homes. Her death makes her a martyr to the cause of justice, acquaintances and fellow activists said Monday.

"She was the heart and soul of the local resistance (movement) and a light of inspiration in an unjust world," said Therese Saliba, a professor at The Evergreen State College and a fellow activist in Olympians for Peace in the Middle East.

"She was killed by a bulldozer paid for by U.S. tax dollars. We will not let her sacrifice be swept away. In our sadness over Rachel's death, we need to continue her work."

Corrie's parents headed to the Gaza Strip to bring back her body to Olympia, said Colin Reese, 23, who read a sorrowful letter from the parents and a recent e-mail from Corrie about her "peacekeeper" work in the troubled region.

The U.S. State Department demanded an investigation. Corrie, a member of the International Solidarity Movement, was the first international peace protester killed in 29 months of violence.

Amnesty International condemned the killing and demanded an independent probe. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Monday he contacted Corrie's family to express his condolences.

The Israeli Army said the bulldozer driver couldn't see Corrie and that the act was not intentional.

Back home, on her college campus, her friends and fellow activists weren't buying that. Samia El-Moslimany of the Seattle chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called it the "unnecessary murder" of a peaceful protester.

Other friends said Corrie was wearing bright-colored clothing and that photos clearly show that the driver would have known she was in front of the machinery.

"She was not there as a thrill-seeker," said Phan Nguyen, a faculty member and an activist in the International Solidarity Movement who has traveled to the West Bank. "She did not have a death wish. She did not go there to die."

Nguyen and other speakers at a campus news conference said Corrie didn't go to the region to make trouble or enjoy some adventure, but to foster social change. She was helping farmers harvest crops, escorting kids to school, keeping roads clear for ambulances and taking part in peaceful protests, friends said.

"Hell was brought home yesterday," said a tearful friend, Serena Becker of Olympia.

Evergreen professor Anne Fischel called Corrie "a clear-eyed realist" and a visionary at the same time. Corrie believed in finding practical ways to promote peace, whether at Lincoln Elementary School in her hometown, or in the war-torn Gaza town of Rafah.

Corrie's friends said they were furious with talk-show comments that she somehow deserved what she got for purposely going into a war zone.

"It's almost criminal in its callousness to say that," Reese said.

If anyone was irresponsible, it was the Israeli government, Becker said. She and others said they hope the death will be a "rallying cry" for big changes in U.S. and Israeli policies.

Art Costantino, Evergreen's vice president for student affairs, said Corrie's death has rocked the campus.

"Her loss is a devastating blow to our college," he said.

Corrie was a campus leader and a person of keen intellect, bravery and gentleness, he said.

"It's very somber today," said campus spokeswoman Kate Lykins Brown. "A lot of hearts are aching here."

The 4,100-student college will hold a memorial service later this month after students return from their spring break, she said. Students are going through their quarterly evaluation period this week. The college, considered an enclave of liberals and social activists, has interdisciplinary courses and does not give traditional grades.

Students set up an impromptu shrine in the dimly lit college library lobby Monday, with pots of fresh spring flowers, flickering scented candles, and news accounts and photos on display. Students wept, exchanged stories and made origami doves, the Japanese symbol of peace.

A large muslin banner was strung across the entrance to the main administration building with this farewell: "Rachel, your courage, your spirit of resistance and your joy for life will inspire us always to stand for peace and justice."