With the upcoming production in Seattle of the play, My Name is Rachel Corrie, it is critical that pro-Israel advocates familiarize themselves with what happened to Rachel Corrie:

1. While Rachel Corrie�s death was a tragic accident, she was not murdered by an Israeli operating a bulldozer. The bulldozer driver did not see Corrie, since he had a very limited field of vision. Armored bulldozers have limited visibility because they have narrow bulletproof windows. Corrie was either kneeling or sitting behind a mound of earth so she was hidden from the view of the bulldozer�s operator. All the other demonstrators with Corrie were standing outside the bulldozer�s path. The driver was interrogated extensively with the use of polygraph tests conducted by the Israel�s Judge Advocate office. These tests concluded the driver was telling the truth. Through the use of video evidence, the Judge Advocate�s office conclusively confirmed that the bulldozer operator did not see Corrie.

2. Corrie was killed by falling debris from the mound of earth and was not physically run over by the bulldozer. An extensive investigation concluded by the Judge Advocate�s office as well as an autopsy performed at the National Center of Forensic Medicine concluded there was no direct contact between Corrie and the bulldozer. Her body had no marks from having been run over by the bulldozer.

3. The bulldozer was not attempting to demolish a home. The driver of the bulldozer was not ordered to demolish any Palestinian homes. The bulldozer was scooping up earth and shrubbery in order to expose tunnels used for weapon smuggling as part of an effort to preclude terror-related activities.

4. Until the tragic accident of Corrie, no foreign protestors were harmed, thanks to the responsible behavior and restraint of the Israeli soldiers. Unfortunately, Corrie was not the first American victim of this tragic conflict. Many Americans, Jews and Christians, have been victims of Palestinian terrorism. Palestinian terrorists specifically targeted these people. None of these Americans were in a military zone. They were simply visiting, studying or residing in Israel.

Rick Harkavy

Executive Director,

Pacific Northwest Region

American Jewish Congress