Rachel Corrie Remember the Children

At age 11, Rachel Corrie’s death impacted me in a singularly powerful way that no other news worthy event ever has. I was struck by her heroism, courage, and humanity, and equally mortified by the seemingly impossible hatred that could have led to her killing. Although I was already aware of the situation in Palestine, her death sparked my interest and drive to better understand the history of the conflict and the ongoing atrocities being committed. My Israeli citizenship has further compounded my desire to support the Palestinian children who have lived their entire lives under occupation and are in such dire need. While children are inevitably innocent victims in all conflicts, their targeting should never be tolerated, and as they continue to be subjected to insidious violence, the cycle of hatred is perpetuated. In addition to asking for signatures for this petition to signify the immediate importance of protecting the innocent children in the West Bank and Gaza, I am also working to obtain funds to travel to Israel and Palestine. In doing so I hope to experience this conflict first hand, bring back stories to illustrate and educate others on the severity of the Palestinian condition, and continue drawing attention to this desperate cause that Rachel Corrie lost her life for.

Objective: This petition condemns the recent killing of 355 children killed during the 2008 and 2009 Israeli Gaza invasion. It strongly urges the Israeli government to take extensive precautions in preventing future killing of innocent Palestinian children and calls for an Israeli effort to better the living conditions of these children.

Project benefits include: Raise awareness on the colossal human consequences of military action, and unite people on the common ground that children should never be killed. Teach that acts of kindness can do more to combat terrorism and facilitate forgiveness. With enough attention, this project has the potential to improve the lives of Palestinian youth, and prevent some of the senseless killing and destruction from future Israeli military operations or from Palestinian acts of retaliation.

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In one of her many heart wrenching emails home, Rachel Corrie wrote “I don't know if many of the children here (in Gaza) have ever existed without tank-shell holes in their walls and the towers of an occupying army surveying them constantly from the near horizons. I think, although I'm not entirely sure, that even the smallest of these children understand that life is not like this everywhere.”

There can be no justification for the killing of defenseless children. The all too often military justification of collateral damage simply falls flat when hundreds of children are killed, and a society’s fragile infrastructure is carelessly destroyed.

To date, there have been no substantial efforts made to remedy the destruction left by Israeli military action. Instead, the Israeli government continues to block emergency aid and medical supplies, and schools, homes, and hospitals are persistently demolished.

This non-violent peaceful action condemns the tragic killing of 355 Palestinian children in last year’s Siege on Gaza and urges the government of Israel to provide government support in rebuilding schools and other facilities for children. Most importantly, it stipulates that the Israeli government do everything in its power to dramatically decrease the staggering casualties among children.

As Americans, we are major contributors to the Israeli government, and neither we nor future generations should be accomplices in the continued destruction of these children’s lives.

Privacy for this petition is protected by the Teace Peace Foundation Privacy Policy. This means the government of Israel only receives the number of signers and not the specific names. Please join me in signing this petition in the sincere hope of aiding in a brighter future for these children.

"To help support Timna's trip to Israel and Palestine, click here to donate. Please note in the "Special Instructions" box during checkout that the donation is to support the Remember the Children petition. Donations are tax-deductible.

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For the printed version instead of the online petition, click here. For the signup form, click here.

What is next? We want to obtain at least 1,000 signatures. I am simultaneously working to obtain the funding to travel to Israel and Palestine. The plan of this student service learning experience is to deliver this petition with a letter from the Teach Peace Foundation verifying the number of signatures to the Israeli government (names of petition signers are not provided to the Israel government because signers could experience travel problems when attempting to visit Israel). The Teach Peace Foundation Privacy Policy applies to this petition. Timna Medovoy, the student project leader, is also working to visit Israel and in Palestine to obtain first-hand experiences.

Will this petition effect Israeli military policy?
While we are aware that it is unlikely, the hope is that this project will draw enough attention to help effect positive change and improve the lives of Palestinian children.

How much government support is being requested for the rebuilding of children’s facilities? We do not propose an exact amount. We recommend that the government of Israel provide aide that the international community would applaud. Whatever the actual aide given, providing aid and support for children is certainly a step in the right direction.

Does signing this petition mean you are against the state of Israel? Not at all. Peace and prosperity for the both Israeli and Palestinian people is our sincere desire. This petition is not intended to harm the state of Israel, nor does it intimate any criticism of the state outside of previously named violence and destruction inflicted upon the Palestinian children.

Signing this petition means you want to stand up for defenseless children which is a powerful way to communicate that you care about Israel and Palestine.

Standing up for children is important to ending the violence. We think it is safe to say that killing children motivates people to become violent, contributing to increased terrorism in the region. Larry Defner makes this point in his December 30, 2009 Jerusalem Post "A taboo question for Israelis."

Why focus on the time period of December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009? This time period is commonly called the Siege on Gaza (other labels include the Gaza war but this is misleading since the Palestinians did not have a single tank or airplane and the casualty counts illustrate clearly Israel’s disproportionately aggressive and brutal military action). The United Nations fact-finding team's comprehensive third party studies of the violence between Israeli and Palestinians provides a clear understanding of what happened. For background atrocities commited during this siege, see Gideon Levy's "Was Israel's Gaza offensive worth it?" article at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1137840.html and read John Pilger's article at http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article24400.htm).

What prompted the siege on Gaza? There are many conflicting reports and opinions regarding what originally prompted the attack; whether it was initially a broken truce by the Israeli government or the Hamas rockets is hardly a point of interest. The point is the undisputedly disproportionate act of military violence that the Israeli government ordered thereafter, and the horrific death and destruction left in its wake.

With so many injustices in the world, why should US citizens sign this petition? America is Israel’s biggest ally, providing nearly 3 billion dollars of financial and military support each year. Therefore American taxpayers effectively paid for the weapons Israel used to kill 355 children in the Gaza invasion. Israeli soldiers admitted that during the Siege on Gaza, military standards to prevent civilian casualties were largely overlooked because the IDF rewrote the rules.

How do we 355 know children were killed? The deaths are confirmed by the United Nations fact-finding mission, the 355 children are identified by the Remember the Children organization

Does the call for not killing children apply equally to Palestinians? Yes. Fortunately, no Israeli children were killed during time period covered by this petition.

Is this petition connected to the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement? No. This petition is a service learning project led by a high school student in Davis, California and supported by the Teach Peace Foundation.

The Teach Peace Foundation's support for student creativity when creating an act of kindness requires that students be supported. Students adhere to Teach Peace's guiding principles when creating service learning programs spanning everything from health care to more controversial subjects.

Can I help obtain signatures? Yes. The petition forms you need are available by clicking here for the petition language and here for the sign up sheet or embed the online petition code to a website.