Lawyer for family of Rachel Corrie demonizes Israel on PA TV
The Corrie family sued Israel for "wrongful death" of their daughter. Rachel Corrie was run over by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza in 2003 while trying to prevent the bulldozers from destroying terrorist infrastructure. The Israeli court ruled against the Corrie family, stating that the driver could not see Rachel Corrie, that she intentionally put herself in a war zone, and her death was a regrettable accident. Lawyer Hussein Abu Hussein represented the Corrie family. This interview with Abu Hussein aired on PA TV about a month before the final verdict.
Mohammad Bakri, Israeli Arab actor: "Even though you live in an abnormal state, even though Israeli law is elastic, even though Israeli law includes racism, and even though you sometimes lose a case, not because you're a bad lawyer, but because there is legal tyranny and racist discrimination even in the law."
Hussein Abu Hussein: "Yes."
Mohammad Bakri: "There are many examples that you've shown me and you've written articles about them."
Hussein Abu Hussein: "In the final analysis, the law is a compliant tool in the hands of the [Israeli] authorities. The Nazi state was also a state ruled by law. It took refuge in the law in order to carry out the most hideous crimes against humanity. The catastrophes in WWII are known to everyone. In WWII, 52 million people were killed, but the historical narrative mentions this as if the only truth is that six million Jews were killed in WWII. However, this does not negate the ugliness of this war. Nazi Germany was a state based on the rule of law for a short while and it found refuge in the law. [However,] the State of Israel was founded from the start on robbery and theft of a nation's homeland. Actually, the correct and true legal definition of what happened to the Palestinians is homeland theft..."
In court Israel argued that Rachel Corrie had knowingly entered an area of conflict that Israel had declared a closed military zone. Abu Hussein responded to this:
"[Israel claimed:] In a place where there is an army, there is no place for civilians. This 'norm' - war criminals in the Macedonian and Yugoslavian wars have been tried for it. But the actions of the American octopus during this period of history - as we peasants say - 'we've had enough!': of American crimes and of Israeli crimes, and of American crimes in Iraq and in Afghanistan. But there is no statute of limitations for war crimes in international legal practice. And maybe a time will come when they will be brought to trial..."
Hussein Abu Hussein: "We suffer from a great injustice, from the giant monster. This monster attacks us daily and bites into our flesh in the Negev, the Galilee, the Triangle [region in Israel], Jerusalem, and the occupied territories - the West Bank and Gaza. Every day it bites into our body."
Mohammad Bakri: "I want to step on the head of this monster."
Hussein Abu Hussein: "We all want to step on its head, but talking is not enough. Everyone has their role..." [PMW note: Abu Hussein did not elaborate or explain what he meant by "talking is not enough".]
Abu Hussein recounted how he once addressed an Israeli judge in court during a case regarding land rights:
"We Palestinians have Canaanite and Phoenician roots which are an integral part of our history, and you [Israelis] are new, you are new occupiers. And there is no proof, in spite of all the digs you have done in Palestine by Zionist archeologists, who until today have not found one proof of their connection to this homeland."
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Hussein Abu Hussein, Israeli Arab lawyer: "Fate determined that I would work in this [legal] profession. I believe that at least until now, I have gone in the right direction and I don't regret it."
Mohammad Bakri, Israeli Arab actor: "Even though you live in an abnormal state, even though Israeli law is elastic, even though Israeli law includes racism, and even though you sometimes lose a case, not because you're a bad lawyer, but because there is legal tyranny and racist discrimination even in the law."
Hussein Abu Hussein: "Yes."
Mohammad Bakri: "There are many examples that you've shown me and you've written articles about them."
Hussein Abu Hussein: "In the final analysis, the law is a compliant tool in the hands of the [Israeli] authorities. The Nazi state was also a state ruled by law. It took refuge in the law in order to carry out the most hideous crimes against humanity. The catastrophes in WWII are known to everyone. In WWII, 52 million people were killed, but the historical narrative mentions this as if the only truth is that six million Jews were killed in WWII. However, this does not negate the ugliness of this war. Nazi Germany was a state based on the rule of law for a short while and it found refuge in the law. [However,] the State of Israel was founded from the start on robbery and theft of a nation's homeland. Actually, the correct and true legal definition of what happened to the Palestinians is homeland theft..."
In court Israel argued that Rachel Corrie had knowingly entered an area of conflict that Israel had declared a closed military zone. Abu Hussein responded to this:
"[Israel claimed:] In a place where there is an army, there is no place for civilians. This 'norm' - war criminals in the Macedonian and Yugoslavian wars have been tried for it. But the actions of the American octopus during this period of history - as we peasants say - 'we've had enough!': of American crimes and of Israeli crimes, and of American crimes in Iraq and in Afghanistan. But there is no statute of limitations for war crimes in international legal practice. And maybe a time will come when they will be brought to trial..."
Hussein Abu Hussein: "We suffer from a great injustice, from the giant monster. This monster attacks us daily and bites into our flesh in the Negev, the Galilee, the Triangle [region in Israel], Jerusalem, and the occupied territories - the West Bank and Gaza. Every day it bites into our body."
Mohammad Bakri: "I want to step on the head of this monster."
Hussein Abu Hussein: "We all want to step on its head, but talking is not enough. Everyone has their role..." [PMW note: Abu Hussein did not elaborate or explain what he meant by "talking is not enough".]
Abu Hussein recounted how he once addressed an Israeli judge in court during a case regarding land rights:
"We Palestinians have Canaanite and Phoenician roots which are an integral part of our history, and you [Israelis] are new, you are new occupiers. And there is no proof, in spite of all the digs you have done in Palestine by Zionist archeologists, who until today have not found one proof of their connection to this homeland."
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