The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP)
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May 15, 2025
❝Random Quotes❞
We shall keep our priests within the confines of their temples in the same way as we shall keep our professional army within the confines of their barracks. Army and priesthood shall receive honors high as their valuable functions deserve. But they must not interfere in the administration of the State which confers distinction upon them, else they will conjure up difficulties without and within. — Theodor Herzl, The Jewish State (1896)
I know that like me, you’ve been shocked by events of the past few days and are deeply fearful about what’s yet to come. Israel is preparing to escalate its already intense assault on Palestinians, threatening a ferocity that we have not seen before. In times like these, the Palestinian people need us, the solidarity…
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July. (Sraya Diamant) Haaretz Editorial, Oct 8, 2023 The disaster that befell Israel on the holiday of Simchat Torah is the clear responsibility of one person: Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime minister, who has prided himself on his vast political experience and irreplaceable wisdom in security matters, completely failed to identify…
The Root of Violence Is Oppression. What’s happening in Palestine/Israel is truly unprecedented. In the coming days, the people around us will be curious and confused, in large part due to one-sided coverage without any context. We offer the following statement to help equip us all to reach out to those around us, and engage…
The Middle East Children’s Alliance, October 7, 2023 Terrifying sounds of airstrikes hitting nearby buildings are everywhere in Gaza. Hundreds of people have been killed and more than one thousand injured. The local hospitals are asking for people to donate blood. Amidst the ongoing attack, MECA team and partners in Gaza are preparing to provide…
News headlines this morning announced what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called war. “Citizens of Israel, we are at war. Not an operation, not a round [of fighting], at war! This morning Hamas initiated a murderous surprise attack against the state of Israel and its citizens,” he announced in a video statement about 11:00…
Ruins of Khirbet Mufaqarah mosque, demolished on the grounds that it was not issued a building permit, March 2016. (B’Tselem, CC BY-SA 4.0) A recent trial of an attack by an Israeli settler on a U.S. citizen shows how difficult it is to obtain justice. SAM STEIN, THE PROGRESSIVE, OCTOBER 2, 2023 Last March, Cassandra…
Washington, D.C. | adc.org | October 7, 2023 The unprecedented and ongoing resistance by Palestinians from Gaza, that caught Israel by surprise, did not happen in a vacuum. This is the response of a people pushed beyond endurance. For decades Israel has been perpetrating unspeakable crimes against humanity, collective punishment, and has sustained an open…
Here’s what you need to know. The IDF has launched retaliatory strikes after scores of Israeli citizens are dead and hundreds wounded. Hani Alshaer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Ellen Ioanes, Vox, Oct 7, 2023 Hamas on Saturday launched a large, well-coordinated attack on Israel from the territory it controls in Gaza after months of simmering…
Oct 15, 2023 2:00 PM Central The modern nation of Israel, created by the UN in 1948, is central to the political and cultural life of the American Jewish community. But Israel has also become a deeply divisive subject, as painful generational cracks have emerged within the Jewish community. Points of contention–including Israel’s apartheid policies…
WORT radio will have two shows this week on Gaza and Palestine: Tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 11 between 8 and 9 am, The Morning Buzz with host Jan Miyasaki will feature an interview with Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh from Palestine, followed by an interview with our own Cassandra Dixon. On Friday, Oct. 13 at 12 noon, A…
On October 30th, Palestinian Human Rights Defender Sami Huraini will be sentenced by the Israeli Court in retaliation for his activism. Since Sami and his family have defended their home village of Masafer Yatta from Israel’s land theft, they have routinely been targeted by the Israeli military and court system with repressive tactics. The Israeli…
View this post on Instagram A post shared by In Palestine Today (@inpaltoday) inpaltoday, Instagram, October 5, 2023 More Detainee Kayed al-Fasfous remains on hunger strike for 60 days Palestinian detainees launch hunger strike in solidarity with Kayed Al-Fasfous
Mystery to Me Bookstore 1863 Monroe St, Madison 6:00 – 7:30 pm Christa Bruhn will be reading from her recently released memoir Crossing Borders: The Search for Dignity in Palestine. About the book In her debut memoir Christa’s journey of curiosity beginning in Jerusalem and Gaza while studying abroad in her father’s homeland of Germany…
Awdah Hathaleen, HUMANS OF MASAFER YATTA OCT 1, 2023 On the outskirts of the foothills of Masafer Yatta, south of the city of Hebron, sits Khirbet Umm Al-Khair, where its people cling to the land with a combination of pain and determination. They endure the challenges of continuous Israeli persecution, including the demolition of homes…
STATEMENT Washington, DC – September 27, 2023: Civil society organizations representing tens of thousands of Palestinian Americans, Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, and allied communities are expressing deep concern and outrage regarding the United States’ decision to admit Israel into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) despite Israel not fully meeting the requirements outlined by the…
Press Contact: Submit a media inquiry here. WASHINGTON, DC, SEPTEMBER 27, 2023—Since the beginning of the process to admit Israel into the Visa Waiver Program, the Israeli government has continuously violated the rights of U.S. citizens while acting with impunity. Israel’s human rights violations have included murdering two U.S. citizens (Shireen Abu Akleh and Omar…
PETER BEINART, The Beinart Notebook, SEP 26, 2023 Sources Cited in this Video The Palestine Writes Literature Festival, held last weekend. A letter by University of Pennsylvania alums asking the university to denounce the festival. A letter by the Brandeis Center claiming that the Palestine Writes festival will endanger Jewish students. Why Zionists in…
Hello friends, Thank you all so much for helping me to come back to Palestine, and for sponsoring young olive trees to be planted in Masafer Yatta in the coming growing season. I attended the September 6 hearing in the legal case against the Israeli settler who assaulted me in March of this year in…
Friday, Sept. 22: Palestine Writes Literature Festival Live-Streamed Session From 12:30 pm CT to end of day Some of you may have heard of the spectacular Palestine Writes Literature Festival being held this coming weekend at Penn State University. While this is primarily an in-person event, there will be livestreaming of the Friday opening session. You…
MICHAEL ARRIA, Mondoweiss, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 (CARTOON: CARLOS LATUFF) This week marks the 30th anniversary of the Oslo Accords, agreements that were supposedly going to establish a framework for peace in the region. After Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat shook hands to applause President Clinton told the assembled crowd that, “The sound we heard today,…
Top-selling artist Bruno Mars just announced a concert in apartheid Tel Aviv. JVP and numerous movement partners are calling on him to stand with the Palestinian people and cancel his show. Countless artists have joined the cultural boycott of Israel, recognizing that the Israeli government uses these concerts to cover up its crimes against Palestinians. …
Wednesday, Sept. 13: Storytelling as Resistance Thursday, Sept. 14: The Legacy of Oslo: Thirty Years Later Thursday, Sept. 14: Palestine Partners at the Madison Night Market! Friday, Sept. 15: The Developers: Land/Life Grabbers in Palestine Sunday, Sept. 17: March for Peace at Willy Street Parade Sunday, Sept. 17: Virtual Tour of the Gaza Strip with…
Washington, D.C. | adc.org | September 7, 2023 – The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to release the $75 million in United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) food aid for Palestinian refugees currently being blocked by Senator Jim Risch (R-ID). This inhumane hold on aid is…
Sunday, September 17th 8PM Jerusalem, 7PM Berlin, 6PM London, 1PM NYC, 12PM Central Gaza is frequently referred to as the largest prison in the world and has been under closure since 2007. Join us for a virtual tour showcasing the way Israeli policy has created an ongoing humanitarian and political catastrophe. With almost annual military…
“In a territory where two people are judged under two legal systems, that is an apartheid state.” By TOVAH LAZAROFF, The Jerusalem Post, Updated: SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 Tamir Pardo, Former Director of the Mossad at the Herzliya Conference, on May 22, 2023. (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90) Right-wing politicians attacked former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo for…
Jerry Windley-Daoust, The Catholic Worker Movement, September 2, 2023 “These settlers act with impunity because Israel has impunity in the world, and they have that because of the U.S.,” Cassandra Dixon (Mary House CW) says. She hopes the September 7 trial of the Israeli settler who attacked her might help to change that. After being…
Backed by hundreds of community members, Google workers protested yesterday outside Google’s biggest cloud conference of the year to demand that their bosses stop doing business with Israel’s apartheid regime. Activists from JVP-Bay Area, the Palestinian Youth Movement, and the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) chained themselves to the street and pedestrian walkway, calling…
Owner hopes playing with felines will offer therapy to those scarred from the strip’s devastating wars and other hardships Mehr Jan, American Muslim Today, Aug 21, 2023 Following the popularity of the global cat cafe trend, a cat cafe has opened up in the besieged Gaza Strip, allowing visitors to enjoy their beverages while hanging…
One underreported aspect of Cop City is the long and ongoing relationship between Georgia police agencies pushing this project and the Israeli police forces. The Stop Cop City campaign is supported by the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights and Jewish Voice for Peace. Will Atlanta City Officials Disqualify The Stop Cop City Petition? The city…
[pdf-embedder url=”http://madisonrafah.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Teshuvah-A-Jewish-Case-for-Palestinian-Refugee-Return.pdf” title=”Teshuvah: A Jewish Case for Palestinian Refugee Return”]
Sunday, August 27 on WORT’s World View The interview begins at 33:00. Cassandra talks with Gil Halstead about her upcoming trip to Palestine, where she will attend the September 6 trial of the Israeli settler who assaulted and seriously injured her last spring. She discusses that case and the broader situation in the Masafer Yatta…
Tuesday, August 29, 7 pm CT Reparations and the Palestinian Right of Return as Teshuvah (Repentence) for the Nakba: An online talk by Peter Beinart Organizers suggest you may want to read this article by Beinart in Jewish Currents before the talk. Details and registration here. Part of a series sponsored by Reconstructionists Expanding the…
Started January 10, 2021 Petition to United Nations Secretary General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ Why this petition matters Started by Palestine Partners Palestinian human rights activist Sami Huraini was convicted by an Israeli military court on August 22, despite video evidence and multiple witnesses proving he was not guilty…
Dear Friends, I wanted to let you know that I will be returning to Palestine soon for the September 6th trial of the settler who assaulted me and fractured my skull this spring. I also wanted to let you know about an exciting new olive planting project in the village of Tuba. I am so…
Join us on Saturday, September 16th at 7 P.M. CDT for Bright Stars of Bethlehem’s Be The Hope 4th Annual Virtual Fundraising Gala! We’ll take you on a virtual trip to Palestine by sharing student stories, hearing from special guests, and getting Dar al-Kalima University updates from Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb. More information and registration
Jewish Voice for Peace August 9 at 2:07 PM · Art by @/majdalrafie on Instagram On August 29, Imagine Dragons is scheduled to perform in apartheid Israel. The venue the band is set to play at stands on the ethnically cleansed Palestinian village of Jarisha. Jarisha was once a vibrant Palestinian community. After…
When members of Congress applaud falsehoods about Israel being a vibrant democracy, they are aiding and abetting further oppression of Palestinians. By Yuli Novak, +972 Magazine, July 31, 2023 Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the Federation of Local Authorities conference in Tel Aviv, December 6, 2022. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90) Israel’s president stood before a joint…
A New York Times Op-Ed featuring liberal Zionist leaders calls to end military aid to Israel as the country passes a law gutting its judiciary. This is the moment people working to end U.S. aid to Israel have been waiting for. BY MITCHELL PLITNICK, MONDOWEISS, JULY 24, 2023 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter DANIEL…
Palestinian Americans Hani Almadhoun and his daughter Zayna sit in their home in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip August 2, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem Wisconsin Muslim Journal, Aug 11, 2023 GAZA, Aug 3 (Reuters) – U.S. passport holders with Palestinian papers and families in Gaza are urging Washington to ensure they are treated equally…
Israel broadened a racist law that allows communities to exclude non-Jews based on “social and cultural cohesion.” Whereas judicial overhaul laws have caused an uproar, this passed with hardly any opposition. THE SWEARING IN OF THE 37TH GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU. (PHOTO: ISRAEL NATIONAL PHOTO COLLECTION) JONATHAN OFIR,…
HUMANS OF MASAFER YATTA AUG 11, 2023 “Saleh Awad, this is my name. I live in the village of Wadadah, in the South Hebron Hills, with eleven members of my family. My life is a simple and beautiful life. I rely on our sheep to earn a decent life for my children and my family,…
Israel’s protest leaders are strengthening an ethnocratic identity that lacks all consistency with their ‘democratic’ mission. But an alternative exists. Anti-government protesters march against the government’s judicial overhaul, Tel Aviv, July 29, 2023. (Miriam Alster/Flash90) Ameer Fakhoury, +972 Magazine, July 30, 2023 In his recent article in +972, Prof. Menachem Klein wrote about the sociological…
Not only did the anti-government protests not condemn the assault on Jenin, its leaders even praised the ‘brave men’ who took part in the invasion. Israelis block the Ayalon Highway during a protest against the Israeli government’s planned judicial overhaul and in response to the removal of Tel Aviv District Commander Amichai Eshed in Tel…
MASAFER YATTA UPDATE
Dear friends and supporters, The Freedom Flotilla vessel Handala, sailing against the blockade of Gaza, has been visiting English and Welsh ports this month. Supporters of human rights for Palestinians, especially for the Palestinians of Gaza who are mostly children and refugees, have greeted Handala at events in Liverpool, Cardiff, Bristol and…
$2,000 of $2,000 on 7/27/23
Sunday, July 23: Dr. Abdelfattah Abusrour on WORT Radio Monday, July 24: Online: Taking on AIPAC to Fight for our Future Tuesday, July 25: No Way to Treat a Child Campaign Webinar Sunday, July 23: Dr. Abdelfattah Abusrour on WORT Radio’s World View 5:30 pm (approximately) 89.9 FM or listen live on line Dr. Abdelfattah…
Israel’s “right to defend itself” is invoked constantly by its supporters, but international law says Israel cannot simultaneously occupy Palestinian land and attack it as a “foreign” threat, or treat those resisting as enemy combatants. AN ISRAELI SOLDIER AIMS AT PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS DURING A DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE EXPANSION OF JEWISH SETTLEMENTS, ON JUNE 16, 2023,…
Jenin by Eli Valley, July 7, 2023 Jewish Cartoonist Eli Valley Sparks Angry Debate About anti-Semitism His comics often employ Nazi imagery satirically and he’s explicit about the point: To him, Trump and his allies are modern-day Nazis, and their Jewish supporters are ‘worse-than-kapos’ Eli Valley (Credit: Loubna Mrie) JTA and Ben Sales, Haaretz, May…
The olive oil soap that connects Palestinian-Americans like me to home. For the diaspora community, this commodity has become a love letter, written in sun and air and earth. The author’s mother holding a bar of Saboun Nabulsi. (Photo courtesy of the author) NATALIE JABBAR, SALON, JULY 8, 2023 In every small Middle Eastern store…