The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP)
Posts
Apr 3, 2025
❝Random Quotes❞
I think it’s a foreign concept for many Americans, what it’s like to live under military occupation. ― Allegra Pacheco, Israeli human rights lawyer, Occupation 101, 2006
New Senate bill threatens free speech
Instead of fighting antisemitism, new Senate bill threatens free speech Jewish Voice for Peace, 06 December 2016 On Friday, without a single Senator in the Senate Chamber, the Senate unanimously passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act. Judging by the title, it seems a reasonable enough piece of legislation. And the Anti-Defamation League was one of its…
Rosary Sisters High School Dabka
Dabka dance to “My Blood is Palestinian”. Enjoy. Jerusalem, Palestine Shahir Hunaina, YouTube, November 16, 2016 My Blood is Palestinian (Dammi Falastini)Translation by Sara Ba Keeping my oath, following my religionYou will find me on my landI belong to my people, I sacrifice my soul for themMy blood is Palestinian, Palestinian, PalestinianMy blood is Palestinian…
How to See Palestine: An ABC of Colonialism
Nicholas Mirzoeff, Critical Inquiry, November 28, 2016 Acknowledgements I visited accompanying the art activist group MTL and with the generous support of many Palestinians, especially Habshe Yossef. I would also like to acknowledge the decolonial activist group Zochrot for arranging my meeting at al-Aqarib. The full web project is still being worked on by techs…
No fires or inciting politicians can destroy our shared society
Samah Salaime, +972, November 26, 2016 The wildfire that struck Neve Shalom-Wahat al-Salam left our Jewish-Arab village more resilient than ever before. We invite Israel’s politicians to learn from us on how to heal our society’s wounds. Fire fighters try to extinguish a forest fire in the forest near Neve Shalom and Latrun, outside Jerusalem, November…
Palestinians Blamed for Forest Fires Across Palestine
Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh, November 25, 2016 But fires are raging across Western Asia Middle East Fires, Past Week (Global Forest Watch, Washington, DC) Over 200 forest fires are raging in Palestine (now renamed the Jewish State of Israel, including its occupied Palestinian territories). Many countries are helping put out the fires, including four teams of…
Update November 25, 2016
Laila El-Haddad on WORTFriday, Nov 25 WORT 89.9 FM A Public Affair 12:00 – 1:00 PM Starting at 6:00 minutes: Laila El-Haddad was the guest on WORT Radio’s noon-time call in show A Public Affair with host Esty Dinur. See The Gaza Kitchen with Laila El-Haddad in Madison for more info.
A letter from Gaza to the Natives of Standing Rock
Israa Suliman, WE ARE NOT NUMBERS, November 15, 2016 Dear Native Americans, Although we are of different color, religion, culture and place, I have learned, as I read about the protests at Standing Rock, that we have much more in common than differences. When I read your history, I can see myself and my people…
Third Palestinian Submission to the International Criminal Court on Gaza Closure
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, November 22, 2016 Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR, and Issam Younis, Director of Al Mezan. Palestinian human rights organizations (Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and Aldameer) held today, 22 November 2016, a press conference to announce presenting the third legal submission…
A Musical Message from the Children of Gaza to the World
Wael Yazji’s 2007 operetta Ehna, with lyrics by the poet Jamal Darimli Wael Yazji, YouTube, November 23, 2007
Update from Anees in Rafah
November 21, 2016 Dear Friends, Alsalam Alaykum, I hope my email finds you well. I’m writing to keep you posted about the situation here at the moment, so I have good news and bad news, and I will start with the good news. Good News: 1. The Palestinian guy I mentioned in my previous update who was…
November 30, 2016
Living in Limbo: East Jerusalem Behind the Separation WallWednesday, Nov. 30 Online Livestreaming at The Jerusalem Fund 12:00 – 1:00 pm CST A presentation by Moien Odeh, Attorney at Law and Visiting Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. This talk will focus on the East Jerusalem neighborhoods behind the separation barrier, where approximately 120,000 Palestinians reside but the Palestinian…
Update November 29, 2016
The Gaza Kitchen with Laila El-Haddad in MadisonThe Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey is a cookbook and a documentary portrait of the Gaza Strip by Laila El-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt, published by Just World Books. The Crossing 1127 University Avenue Madison [Map] 4:30 pm: Gaza, From Blogging to Cooking and Everything In Between A Conversation with Laila El-Haddad based on topics…
Keep Gaza Children Warm
Anees Mansour, gofundme, November 5, 2016 We are about to enter the winter season in Gaza. The houses can’t handle the weather as they are not insulated properly and we only get about eight hours of electricity a day. The conditions are extremely difficult. We’ve been working with children from some of the most marginalized…
EU recognizes right to boycott Israel
Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada Activism and BDS Beat 28 October 2016 EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, left, has affirmed that boycotting Israel is a protected free speech right. (European External Action Service) The European Union recognizes the right of its citizens to boycott Israel, its top foreign policy official has said. “The EU…
Why Israel Still Refuses to Choose
It’s easier to leave Palestinians in limbo waiting for a “peace process” that goes nowhere ROGER COHEN, The New York Times, October 28, 2016 One of the largest Israeli settlements on the West Bank, Maale Adumim, rising in the distance over the Palestinian village of Zaim (Rina Castelnuovo for The New York Times) TEL AVIV…
Update October 22, 2016
Wisconsin Book Festival: The Way to the SpringC-SPAN video link: c-span.org/video/?416995-3/ben-ehrenreich-discusses-way-spring Wisconsin Book Festival The Way to the Spring Ben Ehrenreich 10/22/2016 – 12:00pm Central Library – Community Rooms 301 & 302 Ben Ehrenreich first started reporting from the West Bank in 2011, on an assignment for Harper’s Magazine. He went back again for the New York Times the following year, which…
Free speech triumphs over pro-Israel bullies in US universities
Nora Barrows-Friedman, The Electronic Intifada, 20 October 2016 Students constructed a mock wall on the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor campus to protest Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights. (SAFE-UMich Facebook) Students have won major victories for free speech on US campuses lately as attempts by Israel lobby groups to suppress Palestine solidarity activism continue to…
October 20, 2016
Novelist Ben Ehrenreich on WORTThursday, October 20 “A Public Affair” 12:00 – 1:00 pm Allen Ruff’s Thursday guest will be freelance journalist and novelist Ben Ehrenreich, author of “The Way to the Spring – Life and Death in Palestine,” which describes life in the Palestinian village of Nabi Salih and the villagers’ struggles against settler encroachments and state harassment…
Update October 23, 2016
Israeli and Palestinian Parents Grieve, Work Together for JusticeIt Won’t Stop Until We Talk A Parents Circle Family Forum Presentation Sunday, October 23 Two families – one Jewish Israeli, one Palestinian Christian – have lost a close family member as a result of the prolonged conflict between their two nations. As part of this organization of over 600 families, George and Najwa Saadeh…
December 3, 2016
Madison’s Fair Trade Holiday FestivalGifts with a Story Monona Terrace Convention Center 1 John Nolen Drive, Madison 9 am to 4 pm [Map] Admission is free. MRSCP will have a table offering kuffiyehs and other crafts, and olive oil.
October 23, 2016
UNA-USA Luncheon: Madison: A Tale of Two CitiesUpdate: The Room No. 4 Exhibit advertised previously will not be available at this event. Monona Terrace Hall of Ideas 1 John Nolen Drive, Madison 11:45 AM to 2:30 PM Please join the UNA-USA Dane County Chapter for our annual luncheon on Sunday, October 23rd, 2016 at Monona Terrace. This year’s luncheon: “Madison: A Tale…
November 20, 2016
Orchard Ridge UCC Fair Trade FairSunday, November 20 Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ 1501 Gilbert Rd, Madison [Map] Annual Fair Trade Fair! Come find unusual and beautiful gifts and holiday items from around the world. All proceeds go to the organizations and their artisans to help them become self-sustaining. MRSCP will have a table offering kuffiyehs and other crafts,…
Fall fundraising appeal from MRSCP
Luci Lights for Rafah and Playground finish for Hebron Dear Members and Friends of MRSCP, We would like to ask your support for two modest but important projects this fall. The first is to help MRSCP and the Rebuilding Alliance send a shipment of solar-powered, inflatable Luci Lights to a classroom of Rafah Children. $400…
Israeli Military Blocks Female Flotilla From Reaching Gaza
Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams, October 05, 2016 Group including Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire aimed ‘to highlight the vital role women play not only in the resistance movement, but in the survival of the Palestinian people as a whole’ Map shows the path the boat took through the Mediterranean before it was stopped by the Israeli…
SOS Women’s Boat to Gaza – Contact Lost
At 15:58 CEST (Central European Summer Time) on 5 October, we lost contact again with the Zaytouna-Oliva and presume that the Israeli Occupation Navy has surrounded it in International Waters (latest recorded position: Lat+31.906033 Lon+33.757630) and has forced it off its course to Gaza. On board are 13 women, including Mairead Maguire, the 1976 Nobel…
October 11, 2016
Online Panel: Against Israel’s Colonial TideTuesday, October 11 12 noon – 1 pm Central Listen live at http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/livestream Online panel discussion presented by the Palestine Center in DC: Against Israel’s Colonial Tide: Palestinian Initiatives to Shape Their Future with Nur Arafeh, Policy Fellow, Al-Shabaka Tareq G. Baconi, Policy Fellow, Al-Shabaka Nadia Hijab, Executive Director, Al-Shabaka This panel examines the intersection…
October 6, 2016
Film: Pinkwashing Exposed: Seattle Fights Back!UW-Madison Multicultural Student Center Red Gym – 2nd Floor 716 Langdon St, Madison, Wisconsin 7:30 pm Sponsored by UW-Madison Students for Justice in Palestine. Film screening of the documentary Pinkwashing Exposed: Seattle Fights Back!, which follows queer activists fighting against Israeli pinkwashing propaganda in their community, providing a strategic primer on intersectional social justice activism.…
PHROC Welcomes the Launch of Women’s Boat to Gaza
Al-Haq, 26 September 2016 The Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) expresses its full supportof the Women’s Boat to Gaza, with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, to break the Israeli closure of the Gaza Strip. PHROC calls upon the international community to support the voyage of the Boat until it reaches Gaza’s shores in an expression…
Zaytouna-Oliva departs for Gaza
Amal-Hope II to follow soon Women’s Boat to Gaza, Messina, Italy, September 27, 2016 This morning at 9:50 am, women representing 13 countries spanning five continents began their journey on Zaytouna-Oliva to the shores of Gaza, which has been under blockade since 2007. On board are a Nobel Peace Laureate, three parliamentarians, a decorated US…
Zaytouna-Oliva leaves Corsica for Italy
Women’s Boat to Gaza, September 20, 2016 Ajaccio, Corsica, France: The Women’s Boat to Gaza (Zaytouna-Oliva) left the port of Ajaccio at 09:30 this morning. It is due to arrive later this week in Messina, Sicily, Italy, where it will dock for the last time, prior to sailing to challenge the illegal blockade of Gaza.…
A special appeal from our friend Anees Mansour in Rafah
The Hope and Peace Foundation has now been providing services for Rafah children for one year. The program is going to lose the lease on the building they are presently using, unless they raise six months worth of rent by the end of this month, through this on line funding campaign. Please see the link…
ADC Remembers Sabra and Shatila
Washington, DC | www.adc.org | September 16, 2014 — Today marks 32 years since the Sabra and Shatila massacre — one of the bloodiest and most brutal atrocities of our time. On September 16, 1982, shortly after Israeli troops seized control of west Beirut, the right-wing Lebanese militia forces operating under the direction of Israeli…
Gaza-bound flotilla sails off from Spain’s Barcelona
International activists on two boats carrying food and medicine aim to break Israeli siege on Palestinian territory Al Jazeera, 15 Sep 2016 Two boats, Amal and Zaytouna, will have 11 women on board each [Courtesy: Rumbo a Gaza] A new flotilla of international activists has left for the Gaza Strip from the Spanish city of…
Barcelona Hosts Women’s Boat to Gaza for their inaugural journey
Women’s Boat to Gaza, September 12, 2016 Barcelona, Spain – From September 12-14, the sailing vessels Amal-Hope and Zaytouna-Oliva will moor at Bosch i Alsina dock in the port of Barcelona where various events (concerts, talks, nonviolent workshops, a street parade and visits to the boats) will take place as farewell for the women leaving…
Black Lives Matter Benefit Is Canceled Over Stand on Israel
The owners of the club have canceled a concert, citing a platform of groups affiliated with Black Lives Matter that calls Israel “an apartheid state” MICHAEL PAULSON, The New York Times, September 8, 2016 Photo Credit: Karsten Moran for The New York Times A popular Broadway cabaret club has canceled a concert benefiting Black Lives…
September 17, 2016
Fighting Bob Fest9:00 am – 6:00 pm Breese Stevens Field, Madison MRSCP has activities planned for Fighting Bob Fest. Admission is free although they ask for donations. There are also movies and speakers scheduled for the Barrymore Theater on Thursday and Friday nights before the Saturday main event. Admission will be charged there. This year, we are…
October 15, 2016
WNPJ’s 25th Anniversary Fall Assembly CelebrationWisconsin Network for Peace and Justice Saturday, October 15, 2016 11:30am to 5pm TBA, Madison, Wisconsin Honoring our Past, Visioning our Future WNPJ is celebrating 25 years of work towards the realization of a peaceful, just, and sustainable world! Our individual and organizational members have done a tremendous amount of work both together in coalition…
CODEPINK Petition to Veto California Anti-BDS Bill
CODEPINK, August 28, 2016 California’s AB 2844 is an attack on the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and protest. It is intended by its authors to create a blacklist of supporters of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns for Palestinian human rights. This is of urgent concern to Californians who will be immediately…
I’m Jewish, and I want people to boycott Israel
The country must be held accountable for its human rights abuses. Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace The Washington Post, June 24, 2016 In 2009, I was living in Tel Aviv during Operation Cast Lead. During that offensive, Israel killed about 1,400 Palestinians in Gaza. When small numbers of us went out…
WORT Coverage of Rep. Mark Pocan’s Talk on Israel & Palestine
WORT 89.9 FM Local News – Tuesday, 23 Aug 2016 6:00 pm U.S. Representative Mark Pocan at First United Methodist Church following his recent trip to Israel and Palestine, starting at 09:36. http://archive.wortfm.org/mp3/wort_160823_180001iobytue.mp3 Mark Pocan on Facebook
Poll: Small majority of Palestinians and Israelis support two-state solution
Ma’an News Agency, August 22, 2016 BETHLEHEM (Ma’an ) — A small majority of both Palestinians and Israelis support the two-state solution despite their differing views on the terms of a permanent settlement to peace negotiations, a survey published on Monday found. The survey, conducted jointly by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research…
Death threats and detainment: Opposing the Israeli occupation when Palestinian
This article has raised concern about the welfare of Al Mezan Center for Human Rights staff and our other friends and fellow civil society activists in Rafah and Gaza. Attacks on human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are recurrent, and are part of a consistent Israeli policy targeting voices critical of the prolonged…
Israel to crack down further on foreign pro-Palestinian activists
Israel’s public security minister, Gilad Erdan, said everything possible must be done to weaken the boycott movement. (Tsafrir Abayov/AP) Peter Beaumont, The Guardian, 8 August 2016 Israel is intensifying its campaign against foreign pro-Palestinian activists, announcing that it will establish a taskforce to identify and deport or deny entry to individuals who support the Boycott,…
Update: August 23, 2016
Discussion with U.S. Representative Mark PocanFollowing his recent trip to Israel and Palestine Fellowship Hall, First United Methodist Church 203 Wisconsin Avenue, Madison (Dayton St and Wisconsin Ave) [Map] 11:30 am (Doors open at 11:00 am due to the large number of RSVPs) Earlier this summer Rep. Mark Pocan went on a delegation trip to Israel/Palestine with several other members…
In massive shift, Lutherans vote to halt US aid to Israel
Ryan Rodrick Beiler, The Electronic Intifada, 17 August 2016 Lutheran church wants US to halt aid to Israel until settlement construction and human rights abuses end. (Ryan Rodrick Beiler) The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has become the latest US denomination to take economic action against the Israeli occupation. At its triennial assembly last week…
Scottish football club fans wave Palestinian flags during match with Israeli team
Ma’an News Agency, Aug. 18, 2016 BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Fans of the Scottish Celtic Football Club waved Palestinian flags during an international playoff game for qualification for the UEFA Champions League tournament against the Israeli Hapoel Beersheba club on Wednesday. Entire sections of Celtic supporters brought Palestinian flags to the Celtic Park stadium in Glasgow,…
U.S. criticizes Israeli settlement expansion, demolitions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has been looking to improve its relations with the White House. (Amir Cohen/Reuters) Ruth Eglash and Carol Morello, The Washington Post, July 28, 2016 JERUSALEM — The Israeli government’s plans to build new units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and a spate of home demolitions in Palestinian…
US labor board affirms union’s right to boycott Israel
“As Americans who have a constitutional right to criticize our own government, we certainly have a right to criticize and, if we choose, boycott a foreign government that is heavily subsidized by US taxpayers.” Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada, 25 July 2016 The United Electrical Workers backed BDS in a vote of delegates at the…
GoFundMe Request by Rafah Filmmaker Fida Qishta
Fida Qishta, who visited us in Madison in 2014 and 2015 to show her powerful first film Where Should the Birds Fly, has been in film school in California. She is looking for donations to help fund her thesis film Equally Damaged. Please consider a donation via the gofundme link or check. As of today,…
