The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP)
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Jun 3, 2025
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We found out that there was a systematic expulsion of Palestinians . . . there was an ethnic cleansing operation taking place. ― Ilan Pappe, Israeli historian, Occupation 101, 2006
Image via Sacramento to Bethlehem Cities for Palestine, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights and Others, June 6, 2018 This week, Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip are marking the 51st year of the brutal Israeli military occupation. As the resistance to Israel’s oppression continues across Palestine, we have a…
Bill Glauber and Amed Elbenni, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, June 6, 2018 Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, said America’s recent move to relocate its embassy to Israel will help advance the cause of Middle East peace. During an address Tuesday at the Milwaukee Rotary Club, Dermer called President Donald Trump’s decision to open…
The Peace Report, June 5, 2018 Israel will be testing their Arrow 3 weapons system, among other things, on Kodiak Island, Alaska in the summer of 2018. The Arrow 3 weapons system was funded and developed by both Israel and the United States. All amenities and resources will be provided for the Israeli military free…
Razan al-Najjar, 20, was trying to help an injured protester near the border fence when she was fatally shot by Israeli soldiers, witnesses say. Last month, she spoke to The Times about the challenges she faced as a female medical volunteer. (June 1, 2018, Yousur Al-Hlou) Iyad Abuheweila and Isabel Kershner, New York Times, June…
The Warsaw Ghetto was liquidated and burned to the ground by Nazi soldiers in May 1943 in response to Jewish resistance to the mass extermination of the Jews of Warsaw. (PHOTO BY STANISLAW PAWELEK) Jenny Pressman, The Cap Times, May 30, 2018 Let Gaza live. The bitterly ironic confluence of the personal and political,…
Milwaukee County Progressives No Palestine Exception Jewish Voice for Peace – Milwaukee Tuesday, June 5, 11:15 AM – 1:30 PM Milwaukee County War Memorial 750 N Lincoln Memorial Dr Milwaukee, WI [Map] Since March 30th, Israeli snipers and military have killed at least 113 unarmed Palestinian in Gaza, and wounded more than 12,000. On May…
Gaza Needs Your Help DONATE NOW! I am far from Gaza right now, in the UK, but I am speaking with my friends, my family and my medical colleagues there every day. I know doctors and nurses are working night and day to treat the people injured in the recent massacres. The aftermath of this…
Palestinian protesters run for cover from teargas fired by Israeli troops near the border fence, east of Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Israel faced a growing backlash Tuesday and new charges of using excessive force, a day after Israeli troops firing from across a border fence killed 59 Palestinians and…
I know you’re horrified by the news from Gaza—the slaughter of unarmed protesters who are simply demanding freedom; the deliberate targeting of medical staff and journalists; The murder and maiming of women, children and so many young men. Families in Gaza desperately need medical aid and food. With your help now, MECA can provide them:…
Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman, The Cap Times, May 17, 2018 Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the opening ceremony of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem on Monday, May 14, 2018, left, and on the same day, Palestinians in Gaza City carry the body of Mousab Abu Leila, who was killed during a protest at…
Institute for Middle East Understanding, 5/18/18 Members of The Red Nation expressed their solidarity with Palestinians and their struggle for freedom by dropping a large Palestinian flag from a 100 ft cliff in Window Rock, the capital of Navajo Nation. [Video via @The_Red_Nation ] pic.twitter.com/93Ud98jzlI — The IMEU (@theIMEU) May 18, 2018
Members of Madison-Rafah Sister City Project and Jewish Voice for Peace-Madison did a banner drop today over University Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin . . . at evening rush hour . . . in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Thanks to all the honking support!
Representatives Mark Pocan, Dan Kildee, and Hank Johnson Jr. were denied the opportunity to witness conditions on the ground firsthand John Nichols, The Nation, 5/14/18 A Palestinian demonstrator shouts during a protest at the Israel-Gaza border on May 14, 2018. (Reuters / Ibraheem Abu Mustafa) The Trump administration’s response to the killings of dozens of…
War on Want, May 14, 2018 Palestinians in Gaza are gathering to demand their collective rights, including their Right of Return. As we commemorate 70 years since the Nakba, when Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their homes, it is crucial that we learn about, talk about, and campaign for the right of return for refugees,…
A Palestinian child holds a sign on Land Day. Samir El-Omari and Barbara Olson, Madison365, May 11, 2018 For the past six weeks, Gaza has been in the news as residents have been protesting near the barbed wire fence and free-fire “no-go” zone that traps them under Israel’s siege and blockade of the impoverished territory.…
Tamara Nassar, The Electronic Intifada, 25 April 2018 Ahed Tamimi’s lawyer called for an investigation into sexual harassment during the teenager’s interrogation. (Oren Ziv, ActiveStills) Israeli lawmaker Bezalel Smotrich published a tweet on 21 April calling for a Palestinian child prisoner to be shot. Smotrich wrote that he was “very sad” that Ahed Tamimi is…
URGENT: HELP GET DR. HATEM BAZIAN’S PETITION TO 5K SIGNATURES! We need your urgent help defending Palestinian American professor and AMP Chairman Dr. Hatem Bazian against a vicious campaign by pro-Israel groups who are once again calling on university administrators to fire him from his position at the University of California, Berkeley. Please read the…
Poster by Donna Wallbaum Venue and Installation by Kathy and Kevin Walsh
In this Wednesday, April 4, 2018, file photo, Palestinian protesters wave flags in front of Israeli soldiers on Gaza’s border with Israel near Beit Lahiya. (ADEL HANA, ASSOCIATED PRESS) Judith Laitman and Tsela Barr, Jewish Voice for Peace – Madison Chapter, May 3, 2018 This month, Jews around the world are celebrating the 70th anniversary…
04 Nov 2017 | The Danger of Neutrality | Anna Baltzer | TEDxOcala USCPR Director of Organizing and Advocacy, Anna Baltzer, explains in this TEDx talk how neutrality is a dangerous trap — and an illusion. Taking a side, not impartiality, is what really helps resolve conflicts. NUSAYBA HAMMAD, Communications Director, US Campaign for Palestinian…
UW-Madison Students for Justice in Palestine
Palestinian demonstrators on a sand plateau during clashes with Israeli forces last Friday east of Gaza City. Residents of Gaza are mounting a series of protests called the Great Return March. (Mohammed Abed/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images) Fadi Abu Shammalah, New York Times, April 27, 2018 KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Early in the morning…
UW-Madison Students for Justice in Palestine Rescheduled from April 27. Stop by to see UW SJP’s display memorializing 70 years of occupation and devastation that stills continues today in Palestine. We will be handing out literature and you can find out how you can get involved in the cause. Hope to see you all there!
Gil Halstead with Islam Maraqa on Access Shahir Hunaina, YouTube, November 16, 2016 My Blood is Palestinian (Dammi Falastini), translation by Sara Ba Keeping my oath, following my religion You will find me on my land I belong to my people, I sacrifice my soul for them My blood is Palestinian, Palestinian, Palestinian My blood…
In socially conservative Gaza, women have been leading the Great Return March movement, uniting all Palestinians. Mersiha Gadzo & Anas Jnena, 20 Apr 2018 ‘I loved the sense of unity we all felt when both young men and women helped each other during the march protest,’ said Taghreed al-Barawi, seen in the photo [Mohammed Salem/Reuters]…
Josie Shields-Stromsness, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Apr 12, 2018 Fatima Brejia (more commonly known as Um Hassan) is an organic farmer, community activist, founder of a local women’s organization, and most recently the head of the Al-Masara Village Council! She is the first Palestinian woman to be elected head of a village council. Watch this…
Syria is now a proxy war for Israel, Iran, Russia, Turkey, and the U.S. Asa Winstanley, Middle East Monitor, February 28, 2018 Israeli forces at the Golan Heights border [Escla/Wikipedia] The illegal Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights has now been in place for more than 50 years. This substantial territory, part of southern…
Palestine Solidarity Campaign, April 16, 2018 Join us in campaigning to protect child prisoners on the 17th April, marking the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners. We need you to help raise awareness of the mistreatment of Palestinian children by sharing our ready made infographics on your social media throughout tomorrow. Please post 2…
Democracy Now! April 9, 2018 On Saturday, hundreds of mourners gathered in Gaza for the funeral of Palestinian journalist Yaser Murtaja, who was fatally shot by the Israeli army while covering a fresh round of deadly protests along the Israel-Gaza border. Photos show the 30-year-old journalist was wearing a flak jacket clearly marked ”PRESS” at…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 12, 2018 Contact: Ron Boehmer 202-225-2906 Members of Congress Release Statement on Protests in Gaza WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (WI-02), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Keith Ellison (MN-05), Barbara Lee (CA-13), and Henry C. “Hank” Johnson Jr. (GA-04) released the following statement in advance of demonstrations scheduled to take place…
Daniel Estrin, NPR, April 7, 2018 Palestinian journalist Yaser Murtaja, 30, is evacuated after being fatally wounded by Israeli fire while covering the Palestinian demonstrations at the Israel-Gaza border on Friday. Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters Palestinian photojournalist Yaser Murtaja covered plenty of funeral processions during the 2014 war in Gaza. Now his colleagues are covering his…
From the Front Lines in Palestine Monday, April 9 Multicultural Student Center Red Gym, UW-Madison 716 Langdon Street 7:00 – 9:00 pm In 2002, the International Solidarity Movement grabbed world attention by bringing volunteers from around the world to defend Palestine through nonviolent resistance. They stayed with resistance fighters in the Nativity Church in Bethlehem.…
Featuring Rachel’s parents, Craig and Cindy Corrie Sunday, April 8 St. James Catholic Church 1128 St. James Court, Madison, WI 2:00 – 5:00 pm Joe Catron and Islam Maraqa from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) will also be presenting. Rachel was volunteering with this group on March 16, 2003 when she was killed by an…
Right now the Israeli military is firing at peaceful protesters in Gaza. Right now Israeli tanks and snipers are firing at unarmed Palestinian protesters in Gaza. Fifteen have been killed already, and over 350 injured by live fire, rubber-coated steel pellets or tear gas. Organized by civil society and committed to nonviolence, Palestinians began gathering…
Killing 9 and Wounding 709 Others, including 121 Children and 26 Women Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), March 30, 2018 On Friday afternoon, 30 March 2018, Israeli forces killed 9 Palestinian civilians and wounded 709 others, including 121 children and 26 women in the Gaza Strip, in excessive use of forces and upon a…
Professor Brian Barber Friday, April 6, 12 pm CDT Live Online The Institute for Palestine Studies, in partnership with the Palestine Center, cordially invites you to a presentation by IPS Senior Fellow Brian Barber. Just back from a visit to Gaza, Professor Barber will concentrate in this talk on the current vexing conditions in Gaza…
GAZA KIDS NEED YOUR HELP! Barb Olson, Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, March 9, 2018 For the third time, the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP) is partnering with the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) and the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice to fund the Samira Remedial Education Project in Rafah. Organized by the Rafah…
This article is part of a series of stories and op-eds launched by IPS on the occasion of World Water Day on March 22. Drinking water in Gaza is causing a rising number of its residents to fall ill and the UN says scarcity and pollution of water resources are at the forefront of the…
February 28, 2018
Anna Baltzer, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, 14 March 2018 Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) just launched a groundbreaking campaign, calling for the entire University of California (UC) system to divest from Israeli apartheid! Today, SJP students are showing up, uninvited, to the UC Regents Board meeting in Los Angeles to announce the new…
The Young/Shaheen measure would allow continued US participation in Saudi war crimes. Support the Sanders/Lee/Murphy bill instead. Mark Weisbrot, The Nation, March 13, 2018 People carry water tanks at the site of a Saudi-led air strike, north of Yemen’s capital Sanaa, March 8, 2018. (Reuters / Mohamed al-Sayaghi) Sometimes the most important stories about what…
We Are Not Numbers, February 23, 2018 A Gaza man with a SunBox Two of the Gaza Strip’s most pressing challenges are a blockade-induced shortage of both electricity and building materials. And, in this conservative, patriarchal society, it’s a young, female engineer who is tackling both. Twenty-four-year-old Majd al-Mashharawi, a 2016 graduate in civil engineering,…
with Norman Finkelstein Monday, March 12, 2018 12:00 p.m CDT Livestream Here The Gaza Strip is among the most densely populated places in the world. More than two-thirds of its inhabitants are refugees, and more than half are under eighteen years of age. Since 2004, Israel has launched eight devastating “operations” against Gaza’s largely defenseless…
Center for Constitutional Rights, March 9, 2018 Olympia, WA – Today, a Washington State court ended a seven-year litigation battle against former volunteer board members of the Olympia Food Co-op over their decision to boycott Israeli goods. The lawsuit was first filed in 2011 by five co-op members seeking to block the co-op’s boycott…
CODEPINK After a video of Ahed confronting Israeli soldiers outside her house went viral, she was arrested in the middle of the night. Overnight, she became a hero for young women throughout the world. Israel wants her case to be forgotten so they have closed her trial to the public. No media, no diplomats,…