Family of slain US activist sues Israel

The family of an American killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza will launch a damages case on Wednesday, stoking controversy over the treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters and angering Israelis frustrated by international criticism. Rachel Corrie was one of several foreign activists killed in confrontations with Israel in occupied territory in the past decade. Her family is suing for $324,000 in the case, being heard by a court in the city of Haifa. The Israeli army says Corrie, 23, a member of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement, was fatally struck by a concrete slab on March 17, 2003, as a bulldozer cleared a militant hideout in the Gaza area. Corrie's family, citing witness accounts, has charged the Israeli driver must have spotted her before moving the blade in her direction. "As we approach the seven-year anniversary of Rachel's killing, my family and I are still searching for justice," Cindy Corrie, the victim's mother, said in a statement.