UN Rights Investigator Blasts Israel Over Corrie Ruling

'Defeat for Justice and Accountability'

UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Richard Falk issued a statement today blasting an Israeli court for yesterday’s Rachel Corrie civil suit ruling, saying it represented a “defeat for justice and accountability and a victory for impunity for the Israeli military.”

The lawsuit was brought by the parents of slain activist Rachel Corrie, and sought only $1, a tacit admission of wrongdoing. The court rejected the case, and the judge declared that Corrie brought her death upon herself.

Falk termed the ruling a “sad outcome, above all for the Corrie family but also for the rule of law.” The Corries intend to appeal the case to the Israeli high court, though since the Israeli Defense Ministry has barred most witnesses from the trial the case is seen as more or less a foregone conclusion.

Israel’s government has often condemned Falk, and in 2008 captured him in a Tel Aviv airport and expelled him, declaring him “unwelcome” because of criticism of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.