The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP)
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Jun 2, 2025
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It is imperative to oppose antisemitism as one would oppose any racism. The problem is the definition of antisemitism. It cannot be the case that if you criticize Israel, you’re attacking the Jewish people. ― Judith Butler, EL PAÍS, Dec 14, 2024
Palestine is on fire. Since yesterday night, Palestinian villages of Huwara, Burin, Asira Qabliya, Beita, Beit Furiq and Za’atara in South Nablus district have been under full attack by Israeli settlers, supported by their military. Settlers all across the West Bank have attacked people and their lands, burned their homes, streets and cars. Over 100…
Wednesday, March 1: MENA event “Night at the Bazaar” Thursday, March 2: What’s next for the right to boycott in America? Saturday, March 4: AFRICaide & 4W International Women’s Day Saturday, March 4: Senegambia Int’l Women’s Day Dinner & Dance Mark Your Calendars for a Virtual Workshop to “Write Your Nakba Story”: To commemorate 75 years…
Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in the last few weeks to rally against the Israeli government’s plans for so-called judicial reform. In Jerusalem on February 20, 2023, Israelis protest outside Israel’s parliament against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government to overhaul the judicial system. (Ohad Zwigenberg / AP…
Occupied Jerusalem, 2/18/2023 On 6 February 2023, the Israeli occupation’s high court rejected a request from the Ghaith-Sub Laban family to appeal an eviction order issued in March 2022 in favor of an Israeli settler organization. The family’s request for appeal, submitted through their lawyer Mohammad Dahleh, is the last legal intervention possible within the…
Proposed resolution targeted Palestinian rights advocacy In January, we sent letters urging the American Bar Association (ABA) to remove its reference to the “International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism” in its proposed Resolution 514, explaining that rather than fighting antisemitism, the controversial IHRA definition is used to silence Palestinian rights advocates. In…
Harun was born into, paralyzed, and killed by Israel’s colonial system. The struggle to dismantle it begins in the cave where he spent his final years. Harun Abu Aram in his village of Al-Rakeez in Masafer Yatta, West Bank. (Emily Glick) Yuval Abraham, +972 Magazine, February 16, 2023 Harun Abu Aram is dead. For two…
Protesters in Tel Aviv hold placards that say “Israeli students fighting for democracy” and “Without democracy there is no academy.” (Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images) Peter Beinart, New York Times, Feb. 19, 2023 The warnings come every day: Israeli democracy is in danger. Since Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government announced plans to undermine the independence…
Tuesday, Feb. 21: Don’t Step on My Feet Again: A Poetic Exploration of Life in Gaza 11 am – 12 Noon CT This is the second AFSC “Light in Gaza” webinar, where you will have the privilege of listening to Basman al-Dirawi in conversation with poet Tariq Luthun. This event will delve into the richness…
Palestinian Shot and Paralyzed by Israeli Forces Two Years Ago Dies of Wounds Harun Abu Aram with his father, Rasmi, at home this week. Harun was born in the very same cave where he lies now, unable to move. Credit: Alex Levac Harun Abu Aram was shot in the neck by Israeli soldiers during a…
Since the launch of our 2023 date boycott campaign two weeks ago, tens of thousands have viewed our materials, and a record number of Americans have signed our online pledge. The campaign has been endorsed by prominent leaders and activists, including Dr. Omar Suleiman, Linda Sarsour, Miko Peled, Huwaida Arraf, Suhaib Webb, and more! This…
How Palestinians in Masafer Yatta are resisting Israel’s expulsion attempts Qassam Muaddi, The New Arab, 10 February 2023 In May 2022, the Israeli supreme court ended a 20-year-long legal battle by rejecting a petition, presented by the inhabitants of the 12 villages, against the military declaration of their lands and homes as a ‘firing zone’.…
Don’t be Misled by its Gaslighting The Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev, near the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, on February 3, 2023. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images) Tamar Megiddo, Ronit Levine-Schnur and Yael Berda, Just Security, February 9, 2023 Two parallel developments that took place last December seem…
Please join the No Way to Treat a Child campaign for a webinar next week on February 14 at 11 a.m. Central. We’ll hear how Palestinian children have been impacted by the reign of Israeli aggression across the occupied West Bank this year. Israeli forces have carried out incursions into Palestinian cities and towns almost every night,…
Heritage Minister Eliyahu, a religious ultranationalist now in charge of the Israel Antiquities Authority, denies the existence of a Palestinian people. A 2,700-year-old ivory incense spoon, displayed at the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Jan. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/ Maya Alleruzzo) Ilan Ben Zion, Associated Press, February…
160 organizations representing Palestinian communities, Palestinian solidarity organizations, and the racial justice movement have signed on to the new joint statement “Stop Funding Israel’s Massacres,” calling out the U.S. government’s complicity and racist dehumanization of Palestinian life. Read the statement below: Israel’s horrific murder of 10 Palestinians in Jenin, unprecedented for two decades in the…
Shooting follows a deadly Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp that killed nine Palestinians. Israeli forces deploy at the site of the deadly shooting in occupied East Jerusalem on Friday [Ahmad Gharabli/AFP] Al Jazeera, 27 Jan 2023 A gunman has killed at least seven people near a synagogue in an Israeli…
Israeli emergency service personnel and security forces attended the scene (Getty Images) BBC, 27 January 2023 Seven people have been shot dead at a synagogue in East Jerusalem, the most killed in an attack of this kind for years. At least three more people were injured. The incident happened in the city's Neve Yaakov neighbourhood…
January 26, 2023 This morning, Israeli forces murdered at least 9 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. They bombed homes, tear-gassed a hospital children's ward, shot at residents, and prevented access to medical aid. This unhinged massacre is the most violent Israeli invasion of the Jenin Refugee camp since 2002. This Sunday,…
Yolande Knell & David Gritten, BBC News, 26 January 2023 Jenin & London — Nine Palestinians have been killed during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank – the deadliest in years – Palestinian officials say. A woman aged 61 was reported among the dead in the flashpoint town of Jenin. The…
Jewish radicals convicted of hate crimes are collecting tax-exempt donations from Americans Yosef Haim Ben David, center, arrives at court in Jerusalem on March 22, 2016, during his murder trial in the death of a 16-year-old Palestinian boy. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean, File) JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli group raising funds for Jewish extremists convicted in…
I am writing to invite you to join Omar Barghouti and me for a virtual discussion on corporate BDS organizing this Thursday, January 26 at 11 am ET/10 am CT/6 pm Palestine. Adalah Justice Project has played a key role in campaigns to compel corporations like Ben & Jerry’s to withdraw their complicity from Israeli…
Blocking the former head of Human Rights Watch stirred debate over academic freedom and donor influence Kenneth Roth, the former director of Human Rights Watch, in New York last April. The Harvard Kennedy School recently reversed its early decision to reject his fellowship application because of his criticisms of Israel. (Todd Heisler/The New York Times)…
Show your support for Palestinian women during the January 22 National Women’s March in Madison! Join the Kuffiyeh Contingent and stand with us in the State Capitol Rotunda. Madison Rafah Sister City Project plans to be in the Rotunda of the State Capitol near the State Street entrance at 1:00 pm. Wear your Kuffiyeh (we’ll…
Confronts Challenge to Human Rights Advocacy Last week a U.S.-based Palestinian rights organization asked the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by the Jewish National Fund and several U.S. citizens who live in Israel. Citing the speech and expressive activities of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights,…
One of the primary tactics opponents of the movement for Palestinian freedom have used to silence political debate is the branding of all support for Palestinian rights as anti-Jewish. Roughly half of the incidents of suppression Palestine Legal responds to each year include false accusations of antisemitism, totaling 895 incidents from 2014 to 2020. …
January 22, 2023 Rally on Library Mall 12:00-12:45 March to the Capitol Building 1:00-1:45 Speakout at the Capitol 1:45-4:00 Show your support for Palestinian women during the January 22 National Womens March in Madison! Join the Kuffiya Contingent and walk with us as the March moves to the Capitol. Madison Rafah Sister City Project will…
A Conversation between Sara Roy and Salem Al Qudwa Thursday, January 12, 11 a.m. CT AFSC will host regular webinar conversations with Palestinian writers from our anthology Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire in 2023. In our first webinar in January, Dr. Sara Roy and Salem Al Qudwa will discuss development and rebuilding in…
Monday, January 9th 11:00 am Central Join us for an urgent Instagram live! Tune in to learn how you can stand in solidarity with Palestinian people as they defend Masafer Yatta from Israel’s violence. We’ll be joined by Sami Huraini, a Palestinian activist and co-founder of Youth Of Sumud / شباب صمود, based in Masafer…
The Israeli government is demolishing homes, schools, farms, water infrastructure, and other basic necessities in Masafer Yatta. This blatant violation of international law is unconscionable, escalating tensions and making peace more difficult.https://t.co/MzMsgGakaS — Rep. Mark Pocan (@RepMarkPocan) January 5, 2023
Weaponizing Anti-Semitism to Silence Criticism of Israel Israeli lobby groups redefine antisemitism to include criticisms of Israel as a means of stifling speech Omar Zahzah, The Electronic Intifada, 21 December 2022 Activists warn that the adoption of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism will stifle speech on Palestine. (Justin L. Stewart, ZUMA Press) In September,…
“The occupation and apartheid in the occupied Palestinian territories have made Jewish supremacy the de facto law of the land and the new government seeks to adopt this into their official policy” Israelis carry banners and flags as they gather in front of the the Knesset to protest Israel’s new far-right government in Jerusalem on…
2022 has been the deadliest year for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in decades. We kept a record of all those who were killed by Israeli state and settler violence. YUMNA PATEL, MONDOWEISS, DECEMBER 31, 2022 Some of the Palestinian martyrs from 2022. (Illustration: Yumna Patel/Mondoweiss) 2022 has been the deadliest year for Palestinians living…
You are invited to join our Tuesday CODEPINK CONGRESS Calling Party to talk with special guests about what’s happening in Palestine and efforts to end US complicity in Israeli crimes. Chat with peacemakers and experts Tuesday, January 3rd at 5 pm PT/7 pm CT/8 pm ET: RSVP now! Israeli settler violence against Palestinians escalated in 2022 with…
Dear Friends of MRSCP, We hope you will consider contributing to our year-end fundraising drive to renovate and repair a family home located in the Tal al Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, where we previously installed a playground. This house is one of 20 that the U.S. organization Rebuilding Alliance has selected for their new Gaza Family…
What are we – anti-colonial Israelis, Jews of conscience and international supporters of Palestinian rights – going to do about it? Jeff Halper, ICAHD, 16 December 2022 Benjamin Netanyahu, due to return as Israel’s prime minister within the next few days, has one overriding concern: evading conviction and possible imprisonment in the three corruption cases…
December 24, 2022 In this time of Hanukkah, while Jews celebrate the miracle of the oil that lasted 8 days, the Palestinian village of Sfai in the desert of Masafer Yatta is about to have its water cisterns demolished. There could not be a more cruel irony. No water means no life. We are supporting…
Credit…Illustration by Rebecca Chew/The New York Times; photograph by Dan Balilty for The New York Times Re “The Ideal of Democracy in Israel Is in Jeopardy” (editorial, Dec. 18): As the editor of a progressive Jewish magazine that closely covers Israel and Palestine, I was deeply dismayed by the editorial. Though the editorial is critical…
Complaint from Israeli lawfare group prompts investigation over student group challenging Zionism MICHAEL ARRIA, MONDOWEISS, DECEMBER 16, 2022 Members of UC Berkeley’s Students for Justice in Palestine on Sproul Plaza. (Photo: UC Berkeley SJP/Al Shabaka) The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has announced that it’s launched a probe into the University of California’s…
Jesus was born here. So where have all the Palestinian Christians gone? Dena Takruri goes to Bethlehem to find out. Dena Takruri is a journalist, Senior Presenter on AJ+, and co-author of They Called Me A Lioness: A Palestinian Girl’s Fight For Freedom.
Palestine has won people’s hearts and captivated the world’s attention — and its team isn’t even playing. YUMNA PATEL, MONDOWEISS, DECEMBER 9, 2022 MOROCCAN NATIONAL TEAM UNFURLS PALESTINIAN FLAG AFTER VICTORY OVER SPAIN (PHOTO VIA TWITTER) As the World Cup enters its final 10 days, and the remaining eight teams gear up for the quarter…
Salah Hamouri photographed by Alain Bachellier Jonathan Kuttab, Friends of Sabeel North America, December 9, 2022 Salah Hamouri is a Palestinian human rights lawyer, from Jerusalem, who has just been informed he will be deported to France in 3 days. He has appealed this decision, but the hope that Israeli court would provide him with justice is…
The transformation of Israeli leftists into dissidents is a reminder that no one is safe from the attempts to turn the ‘wrong kind’ of Jews into enemies. Edo Konrad, +972 Magazine, December 16, 2022 Israeli activists hold a protest in Tel Aviv against Israeli military rule over Palestinians in the West Bank, September 23, 2021.…
Move constitutes a war crime Medjool, 2022-12-18 Ramallah, 18 December 2022 Today, Sunday, 18 December, the Israeli settler-colonial authorities are unlawfully deporting French-Palestinian lawyer and human rights defender Salah Hammouri from his hometown, Jerusalem, to France for “breach of allegiance” to the occupying state. Such a move constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law of forcible…
Palestinians say the worrying trend will only worsen as right-wing extremists make their home in Israel’s new government. YUMNA PATEL, MONDOWEISS, DECEMBER 15, 2022 Israeli security forces deploy amid altercations between Jewish settlers on their way to visit the tomb of Othniel ben Kenaz in the area H1 (controlled by Palestinian authorities) and Palestinian residents,…
Zoom 11:30 am Central Alarming developments in coalition agreements and promised ministerial appointments following the Israeli elections in November have left many of us rightfully worried about the future of Israeli democracy and human rights in the region. The incoming government, comprised of far-right extremist and Jewish supremacist politicians, is shaping up to give their…
Digital Webinar: Christmas in Palestine! December 18, 12 noon Central Green Olive Tours sponsors a panel discussion featuring Christian Palestinian perspectives on liberation and theology. Join members of Sabeel, the ecumenical liberation theology center in Jerusalem, to explore the ways they draw on Christian narratives and teachings as a source of resilience in the face…
Legal experts fear Israel’s deportation of Salah Hammouri could set a precedent for similar moves against Palestinians holding foreign citizenship Salah Hammouri’s mother (left), alongside Attorney Leah Tsemel (center) and Munir Nuseibeh (right), holds up a photo of him at an emergency press conference in Jerusalem, December 2, 2022. (Oren Ziv) Oren Ziv, +972 Magazine,…
The Israeli-controlled checkpoint in Hebron (Bab al Zawiyah) divides Palestinians in their city. (Tanya Habjouqa/NOOR for The Washington Post) A new weapon on the right side of the checkpoint can remotely shoot live ammunition and special “crowd control” munitions. (Tanya Habjouqa/NOOR for The Washington Post) Shira Rubin, The Washington Post, December 10, 2022 HEBRON, West…