The Head of the Popular Committee against the Israeli Siege on Gaza said on Tuesday that the 17th anniversary of Rachel Corrie’s death should be an incentive for global solidarity with Palestine. Jamal Al-Khodari MP told journalists that Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli armoured bulldozer in Gaza on 16 March 2003, is one of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the Palestinian cause.

Al-Khodari’s remarks came in the wake of the global coronavirus crisis which has affected the scale of solidarity with the Palestinians and their cause as they remain under effective lockdown enforced by the Israeli siege and occupation. US citizen Corrie was killed by an Israeli soldier when she was trying to prevent the bulldozer that he was driving from demolishing a Palestinian home in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

“The world must listen to Corrie’s voice which still resonates around the world,” said the MP. He stressed that fact that the 23-year-old solidarity activist challenged the Israeli occupation forces in order to protect a Palestinian family from becoming homeless.

READ: 40 candles of solidarity: An international birthday for Rachel Corrie

On the 17th anniversary of her murder, Al-Khodari hailed Corrie and her family, and called for international solidarity movements to intensify their efforts to save the Gaza Strip from the deteriorating humanitarian and economic crises which engulf it. The territory has been under an Israeli-led siege for 14 years, during which time Israel has launched three major military offensives against the largely civilian population.

“We hope to see popular, institutional and parliamentarian moves having a tangible impact at the official level,” he added. “Such efforts must lead to real pressure on the Israeli government in order to end its siege imposed on the Gaza Strip. We will never forget Rachel Corrie and her sacrifice to achieve justice and protect the Palestinians.”