Why Rachel Corrie Went to Gaza
Tablet’s Lee Smith profiles Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old activist who was killed in 2003 in Gaza while working for the International Solidarity Movement. “One way to understand Corrie’s story,” Smith writes, “is as part of a longstanding tradition of adventurous, generous, and sometimes vain Western travelers to the Middle East. Among these crusading spirits, the most famous example is perhaps T.E. Lawrence, who saw in the band of Arab tribesmen and former Ottoman officers he led against the Turks an opportunity to serve the underdog and tie himself to a larger cause.”