The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP)
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May 15, 2025
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Gaza has exposed that there is no international law in the world. All those who preached to us about international law, human rights and democracy, and international humanitarian law, where are they? ― Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian National Initiative, Apr 20, 2025, after 48 days of siege and starvation in Gaza.
A lot of media focus has rightfully been given to Sheik Jarrah and Gaza recently, but in the South Hebron Hills similar human rights violations are going on which don’t garner as much attention. We invite you to join us and our friends at the Good Shepherd Collective and the Youth of Sumud to explore…
Shahar Perets, who was sentenced to prison for refusing to join the Israeli army, talks about meeting Palestinians for the first time, her visits to the West Bank, and how Israeli society represses the occupation. Israeli conscientious objector Shahar Perets. (Oren Ziv) Oren Ziv, +972 Magazine, September 1, 2021 Israeli conscientious objector Shahar Perets was…
The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project and Palestine Partners successful yard sale during the Orton-Front Festival (above). If you missed it and want to buy Palestinian crafts or yard signs you can still contact rafahsistercity@yahoo.com or visit Palestine Partners. August 28, 10 am to 4 pm outside 1820 Rutledge St, Madison [Map] Madison-Rafah Sister City Project…
Home Invasions and False Arrests: Aref Jaber defies settlers’ attempts to take over his plot of land near Hebron, and finds himself facing harassment from the army too Amira Hass, Haaretz, Aug. 28, 2021 On December 11, a structure made of wood and cinder blocks appeared on a piece of land belonging to Aref Jaber…
Dear Friend, I am heavy, but hopeful. The last two weeks have been heartbreaking and enraging in so many ways: we see U.S. government fingerprints, our tax dollars at work, on carnage around the world, from Afghanistan to Palestine. Our government has left the Afghan people to a chaotic power vacuum in the aftermath of…
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), August 26, 2021 Ahead of President Joe Biden’s first in-person meeting today with newly-elected Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, ADC, along with the undersigned organizations, insists President Biden center core Palestinian calls for justice and demand that the Israeli government ends its ongoing and systemic violations of Palestinian rights, including ending…
Washington, D.C. | www.adc.org | August 27, 2021 – The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is calling on President Joe Biden and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to reject Israel Envoy to the U.S. Gilad Erdan’s request for a U.S. Visa Waiver Program deal without explicit guarantees that Arab and Muslim Americans…
Egypt should reverse this unproductive & ultimately harmful decision. Isolating Gaza won’t lead to lasting peace. I sent a letter w/ 52 of my colleagues urging @SecBlinken to work w/ his counterparts to ensure aid gets into Gaza through Israel & Egypt. https://t.co/pA3KbkOIeo — Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) August 22, 2021
Days of Palestine – Gaza, Aug 21, 2021 Israeli occupation warplanes moments ago launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip attacking several sites in the enclave. A Days of Palestine correspondent said that heavy explosions were heard in different areas of the Gaza Strip. Read More: Hamas: Israel’s airstrikes a renewed attempt to cover up its…
Cross-border gunfire earlier on Saturday seriously injured an Israeli soldier and wounded 41 Palestinians Palestinian protesters evacuate an injured youth on a stretcher amid the clashes with Israeli security forces. Photograph: APAImages/Rex/Shutterstock The Guardian, 21 Aug 2021 Israeli aircraft struck Hamas sites in Gaza late on Saturday, the military said, in an escalation of hostilities…
We’re delighted to invite you to a timely webinar on Monday, August 16th, at 4:00 pm ET. How did an ice cream company come to dominate the global discourse on Israel-Palestine? On July 19th, beloved ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s announced that it would end sales of its ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian…
Palestinian Culinary Resilience & Liberation! Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) Laila El-Haddad and Vivien Sansour cook up a treat as they share stories of Palestinian liberation. Laila & Maggie Schmitt have just published the 3rd edition of Gaza Kitchen, available from Just World Books. More information and registration
In My Mother’s Footsteps Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) More information and registration
Three months ago I wrote to you with the news that Israeli forces shot dead 16-year-old Said Yousef Mohammad Odeh in Odala, a village located near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. Since then, my team spoke with Said’s family and friends to hear their reflections on his life and the impact of his brutal…
WORT 89.9 FM A Public Affair 12:00 – 1:00 PM Host Esty Dinur and Rep. Pocan will discuss Israel and Palestine, including Gaza. Listener-Sponsored Community Radio WORT 89.9FM is an independent, noncommercial listener-sponsored and volunteer powered community radio station in Madison, Wisconsin founded in 1975.
Then, during his funeral, they killed someone else
A remarkable, nonviolent struggle against settlement expansion in East Jerusalem Watch the full movie online • More on Just Vision and My Neighbourhood Mohammed El Kurd is a Palestinian boy growing up in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah in the heart of East Jerusalem. When Mohammed turns 11, his family is forced to give up…
In his resignation letter Dr Cornel West warns of ‘an intellectual and spiritual bankruptcy’ in US academia [Getty] Sahar F. Aziz, The New Arab, 23 Jul, 2021 It is no secret that Palestine is taboo in US academia. Harvard’s recent denial of tenure to renowned race scholar Cornel West is the most recent instance. For…
YUMNA PATEL AND MARC STEINER, The Real News Network, JULY 29, 2021 In early May, a group of Israeli settlers arrived with caravans and set up an illegal outpost on the top of Jabal Sabih on the outskirts of Beita, which is located in the northern occupied West Bank. Since then, every single day for…
Israeli soldiers confiscated computer equipment and client files in a dawn raid on Defense for Children International – Palestine’s main office in Al-Bireh on July 29. (Source: DCIP) Defense for Children Palestine, July 29, 2021 Ramallah, July 29, 2021—Israeli forces raided Defense for Children International – Palestine’s headquarters in the central occupied West Bank, confiscating…
Breaking the Silence, Jul 26, 2021 Last Friday night, 15 minutes of the main evening news broadcast on Channel 12 – one of the programs with the highest viewer ratings in Israel – were dedicated to journalist Yigal Mosko’s report on the unbelievable reality of the South Hebron hills. The report covered several of the…
‘This BDS win is because of our people power’ On Monday Ben & Jerry’s announced that it would stop selling ice cream in Israeli settlements. Israel has promised to fight the move “with all our might,” while activists say it is yet another sign of how BDS is entering the mainstream. Boycott Ben & Jerry’s…
Defense for Children Palestine, July 21, 2021 In May 2021, Israeli forces launched an 11-day military offensive against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip dubbed Operation Guardian of the Walls. The Israeli military used U.S.-manufactured weapons in a massive assault that resulted in the deaths of at least 256 Palestinians, including 67 children. More than 91,000…
In the South Hebron Hills, the southernmost region of the West Bank, there are about 122 communities of shepherds and farmers totaling about 80,000 inhabitants. The communities settled there in the early 19th century in order to be close to the pastures and agriculture they owned. In recent decades Palestinian residents have suffered abuse from…
Trucks are parked at the Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream factory in the Be’er Tuvia Industrial area, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) Associated Press, July 20, 2021 JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the head of Unilever on Tuesday that Israel will “act aggressively” against Ben & Jerry’s over the subsidiary’s…
Trapped in deadly fighting between Israel and Hamas, Palestinians in Gaza used their phones to capture the toll of the 11-day war in May. Yousur Al-Hlou, Neil Collier and Soliman Hijjy, New York Times, July 14, 2021
Addameer, July 13, 2021 On 12 July 2021, following several communications submitted to the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) for the temporary humanitarian release of Palestinian political prisoner Khalida Jarrar to attend her recently deceased daughter’s funeral, the Israeli Prison Service denied Khalida’s release on political grounds, citing the alleged “security threat” she poses due to her “[negative]…
A young medical student speaks out about life in the besieged Strip, the persistence of Israeli attacks, and the need for real solidarity. Flames are seen after an Israeli air strike strikes in Gaza City, Gaza, on June 15, 2021. (Photo by Ali Jadallah / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Amal Haddad, The Nation, JULY…
In Oil-Friendly States, New Bills Aim to Block Divestment from Fossil Fuels The proposed law in North Dakota is based on a 2017 bill that banned Texas from investing in funds that boycott, divest from or sanction Israel. Wisconsin Act 248 (2018) prohibits contractors with public entities from participating in a boycott of Israel. See…
Progressive Black Democrats are reviving a radical tradition of Palestine solidarity in Congress, challenging Black leaders in their own party and Washington’s support for Israeli state violence. Black Lives Matter protest in Century City, California on June 6, 2020. (Brett Morrison/CC BY 2.0) Alex Kane, +972 Magazine, June 16, 2021 On May 13, something remarkable…
A Palestinian child, wounded by Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, receives treatment at Al-Shifa Hospital on May 19, 2021 in Gaza City, Gaza. Fatima Shbair/Getty Images Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept, July 1 2021 After right-wing outrage, the esteemed journal removed an opinion piece expressing solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli bombardment. Sabreen Akhter felt…
AJ+/Al Jazeera Plus, June 29, 2021 Israeli forces have started demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood. Hundreds of Palestinian families are threatened with forced expulsion because the occupying power refuses to give them building permits. pic.twitter.com/GQXVFxbNSh — AJ+ (@ajplus) June 29, 2021
SumOfUs, June 28, 2021 Last month, during the eleven-day assault by Israeli military on the Gaza Strip, 256 Palestinians, including 66 children, died. And last week, thousands of right-wing nationalists paraded around Jerusalem shouting ‘death to Arabs’. The only way to stop the never-ending cycle of settlement expansion and violence is to make the economic…
Air raids pound Gaza Strip after Palestinians in besieged enclave reportedly sent incendiary balloons into southern Israel Israeli jets bombed areas across the besieged Palestinian enclave early on 16 June (AFP) Middle East Eye, 16 June 2021 Israel launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip early on Wednesday in response to incendiary balloons reportedly launched…
Leah Muskin-Pierret, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), June 15, 2021 WASHINGTON, DC — 🔥 Statement & Call to Action: The US Campaign for Palestinian Rights condemns the state-sanctioned, racist, anti-Palestinian flag march on June 15, 2021 in Jerusalem and continuing bombing of Palestinians in Gaza and calls for the U.S. to immediately stop funding…
6 pm Central Maggie Schmitt and Laila El-Haddad’s The Gaza Kitchen cookbook is back in a new, expanded 3rd edition with an all-new Authors’ Introduction, new recipes, new photos, and info from Laila’s late-2019 visit back to Gaza. Join us for the June 15 launch in which the authors will review what’s happened in Gaza…
Aisha Mansour, The Palestine Solidarity Committee – Seattle, June 13, 2021 Thank you for your readiness to mobilize Seattle! After our successful action yesterday and rally today, we have prevented the ZIM San Diego from unloading for another day! SSA President Edward DeNike has asked the ZIM San Diego to leave the Port of Seattle…
Defense for Children Palestine, June 11, 2021 Israeli forces shot and killed 16-year-old Mohammad Said Mohammad Hamayel with a live bullet to the chest this afternoon in Beita, a village southeast of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. When Mohammad was killed, Beita village residents were protesting against a new illegal Israeli outpost recently…
Handmade. One of a Kind. Diverse. Quirky. Weird. WORT. WORT volunteers bring you 160 hours of music, news, and talk every week that you won’t find anywhere else and your generosity makes it possible. Thank you! Your donation means we can break radio’s unwritten rules. We don’t stick to one genre of music. We place…
9 pm Central Presented by The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice and Economics for Everyone Speakers: • Alia Taqieddin (Palestinian Feminist Collective) – “Palestine as a Feminist Issue” • Steve Niva (Faculty, Evergreen State College) – “The Nature, Extent, and Ultimate Reasons Behind the U.S.-Israeli Relationship and How to Challenge It” Moderated by…
12:30 pm Central Join Rabet for the premiere of our latest documentary, “One People, Segregated IDs”. Learn more about how Israel’s apartheid policies, between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, segregate Palestinians based on their ethno-national identity, issuing different types of IDs for Palestinians depending on their location, each with varying freedoms and rights.…
Middle East Eye, May 2, 2021 ‘If I don’t steal it, someone else is going to steal it.’ An Israeli settler’s attempt to justify a forcible takeover of a Palestinian home in Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem has sparked anger online after it was caught on camera. Subscribe to our YouTube channel Middle East…
“It is time for the world to recognize that what we saw in South Africa decades ago is happening in Palestine… time for the world to take decisive diplomatic action… towards building a future of equality.” Alon Liel (l), Omar Shakir (c), and Ilan Baruch in July 2019. The two former ambassadors were seeking to…
Join Silwan activists Sahar Abassi and Zuheir Rajabi online to find out how you can help.
Eyewitness Palestine June 12, 13, or 16 1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Participants in this Virtual Delegation will see the ways in which Palestinians in Silwan, East Jerusalem, are resisting Israeli occupation and displacement. In Silwan, Israel and its tourist and archeology industries seek to link the bible story of King David to the modern…
Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan tells Haaretz why he welcomes a new Israeli government, even one led by a right-winger like Naftali Bennett who has renounced the two-state solution Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan. Andy Manis / AP Ben Samuels, Haaretz, Jun. 7, 2021 WASHINGTON – How does a lawmaker go from surface-level familiarity with the…
UW-Madison Students for Justice in Palestine UW Library Mall 8:30 PM Join us to mourn the lives lost, show solidarity to the Palestinian people, and condemn U.S military aid to Israel. Meet at Library Mall Candle walk up to the Capitol Speakers & Open Mic Number of candles provided for the number of lives lost.…
Israeli historian Ilan Pappé: “language is very important. The way you frame a situation can affect your chances of changing it..we should understand that Israel is *colonizing* #Palestine. It started colonizing it in late 19th century & still colonizing today” cc @MiddleEastEye pic.twitter.com/L7fdBifzAM — Assal Rad (@AssalRad) May 29, 2021
Why are these advanced fighters used against Palestinians? Manlio Dinucci, Global Research, May 19, 2021 Israeli Forces spokesman Zilberman announced the start of the bombing of Gaza, specifying that “80 fighters are taking part in the operation, including the advanced F-35s” (The Times of Israel, May 11, 2021). It is officially the baptism of fire…