Rachel Corrie was killed in Gaza in March 2003 by a bulldozer driven by an Israeli soldier. She was an unarmed peace activist dedicated to non-violent resistance.
This week, a British court found that Tom Hurndall, a 22 year old unarmed British peace activist was unlawfully killed in Gaza in April 2003 after being shot dead in broad daylight by an Israeli soldier who later claimed that his commanding officers had issued orders to kill unarmed civilians.
This came only days after the Israeli military had been found guilty of unlawfully shooting and killing James Miller, an unarmed British journalist, three weeks after Tom Hurndall and just one mile away in southern Gaza.
The reason why we feel such revulsion towards terrorists is because they kill with impunity. If we hope to defeat them, we must respond to their atrocities in ways which clearly demonstrate our respect for the right to life and the rule of law. If we fail to live up to our own hard won standards, we should not be surprised if neutral observers should find our stance hypocritical and our methods repugnant.
'The Lonesome Death of Rachel Corrie' was written 20th March 2006 to a tune borrowed from Bob Dylan.
Click here to listen to the song, which was recorded live at the Birchmere, Alexandria, VA. 28th March 2006.