The parents of U.S. peace activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed in Gaza by an Israeli bulldozer, marked the fifth anniversary of her death Thursday by dedicating a small West Bank memorial.Corrie was 23 when she was run over by a 60-ton Israeli bulldozer in 2003 as she tried to prevent a Palestinian home from being demolished. The driver said he didn't see her, and the Israeli military ruled her death accidental. On Thursday, about 150 Palestinians and foreigners attended the memorial, gathering in a street in the West Bank city of Nablus, led by Corrie's parents, Cindy and Craig. Some held up photos of Rachel, who was from Olympia, Wash.

Her parents have repeatedly returned to the Palestinian territories, including to the spot in the southern Gaza town of Rafah where she was killed.



Cindy Corrie told the crowd that her daughter believed Palestine could be a "source of hope for people struggling all over the world."

The parents did not say why they placed the memorial in the West Bank instead of Gaza.

But Gaza is mired in violence and ruled by the militant Islamic Hamas, while moderate President Mahmoud Abbas administers the West Bank, which is relatively calmer. In a 2006 visit to Gaza, the Corries were apparent targets of an unsuccessful kidnap attempt by Palestinian militants.

The couple unsuccessfully tried to sue Caterpillar Inc., the U.S.-based company that manufactured the bulldozer, seeking to hold the company liable for aiding and abetting human rights violations — the destruction of civilian homes. Israel has demolished scores of homes on the Gaza-Egypt border to broaden a military buffer zone it controlled. In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza, including the border zone.

The U.S. government pays for all Caterpillar bulldozers sold to Israel. A U.S. appeals court ruled in September that the Corrie lawsuit presents foreign policy questions best left to the White House and Congress.

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