Last week was a singularly horrid one for all of us who know that it is our universal, inalienable right to kneel in front of armoured bulldozers without getting our new keffiyehs (they are so cool!) dirty.
And my heart wept for Craig and Cindy Corrie on Tuesday after the Haifa District Court ruled that their 23-year old daughter, Rachel – and not the IDF – was responsible for her own death under the tracks of of a Caterpillar D9 in Gaza in March 2003.
It was an outrageous injustice, and sets a horrible precedent. Whatever next . . . environmental activists running across the M1 to protest motorway widening – rather than drivers not looking out for them – having to shoulder the blame for getting splattered across it?!
"This was a bad day not only for our family, but a bad day for human rights, for humanity, for the rule of law, and also for the country of Israel," announced Mrs. Corrie after the verdict.
How right you are, Mrs. C. And you and your husband should be congratulated for your objective concern for the plight of the poor, defenceless Palestinians against the mighty Israelis – the result, no doubt, of a deep understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict, as opposed to any prejudice or suspicion on your part regarding the rich, powerful Jew – even though it led to your own daughter's horrible, needless death.
Rachel was a fine American. Okay, she burnt the flag (who hasn't?!) But, in writing of the natural rights of man, Hobbes, Locke and Paine surely could not have had in mind any act more noble than the "shielding" of Islamofascist rocket squads and suicide bombers by interfering foreigners who couldn't find useful work placements during college (see also http://melchettmike.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/time-for-the-hurndalls-to-s...) and who had always heard that Arabs . . . well, everyone really, are nicer than Jews.