The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP)
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And now there is blood on my name, on my tree in Israel. Do not speak to me of self-defense, of necessity and nations and history. ― Julia Vinograd, For My Tree in Israel, 1988
States can’t punish businesses for boycotting Israel, federal judge in Arizona says
Palestinians walk past a sign painted on a wall in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, in 2015 that calls for a boycott of products coming from the Israeli settlements. (Thomas Coex/Agence France-Presse) Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Washington Post, October 1, 2018 Mikkel Jordahl, a lawyer in Sedona, Ariz., can now choose to buy a different brand…
Gaza’s economy is not ‘falling.’ It was pushed.
Palestinian laborers protest against the continued Israeli siege and the spread of unemployment in Gaza City on May 1, 2018. (Photo: Ashram Amra/APA Images) Marilyn Garson, Mondoweiss, September 27, 2018 The economic and social situation in Gaza that has been declining for over a decade, has deteriorated exponentially in recent months. . . The situation…
House Democrats Condemn Trump’s Actions Against the Palestinian People
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 13, 2018 House Democrats Condemn Trump Administration’s Actions Harming the Palestinian People WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (WI-02), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03), and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) today released the following statement condemning the Trump Administration’s recent actions harming the Palestinian…
24th Friday of the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege of the Gaza Strip
Israeli Forces Kill 1 Child and Wound 137 Civilians, including 26 Children, 4 Paramedics and 1 Journalist Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), September 7, 2018, Ref: 97/2018 On Friday afternoon, 07 September 2018, using excessive force against the peaceful protesters in the eastern Gaza Strip for the 24th Friday in a row, Israeli forces…
Sep 11, 2018
United Nations Association Lecture on PalestineMadison Central Library 201 W Mifflin St 7:00 pm, 3rd Floor Since 2006 the speaker has been spending from one to three months per year accompanying Palestinian children to school past Israeli settler checkpoints in the village of Tuwani and the surrounding South Hebron Hills of the West Bank. She initially volunteered with Christian Peacemaking…
Sep 27-28: Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) National Conference
You are invited to FOSNA’s national meeting in Minneapolis: Prophetic Action. This event is on track to be one of the largest ecumenical gatherings of Christian leaders and activists for Palestinian rights. Participants will discuss liberative theologies across faiths, celebrate growing church wins, and reflect on the impact of their activism! Along with keynote speaker,…
Sep 28-30: U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights National Conference in Minneapolis
Together We Rise will be a space for people to connect with and learn from others working in support of Palestinian rights across the country, and renew our commitment to the struggle for freedom, justice, and equality. The program includes sessions such as Resilience Across Movements, Updates from Palestine, Intersectional Feminism and Gender Justice, Palestine…
UNRWA Crisis: Beyond Dollars and Cents
Zaha Hassan, Palestine Square | Institute for Palestine Studies, August 3, 2018 “Continuing services to refugees is a right, not a handout.” This was the message last week of one of the thousands in Gaza who came out to protest the UN Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) decision to not renew 154 employment contracts in…
Why Young Jews Are Walking Off Birthright Tours
“Visiting Israel in 2018 and not talking about Israel’s military occupation of Palestinians is like visiting the Deep South in the 1950s and not talking about Jim Crow segregation.” YouTube, Aug 25, 2018 Here’s why young Jews are walking off their Birthright tours of Israel in favor of learning firsthand about Palestine.
A Vengeful and Shortsighted Act
Palestinians waiting to cross the border to Egypt in May. (Adel Hana/Associated Press) New York Times Editorial, September 1, 2018 The Trump administration has offered various explanations for cutting aid to the Palestinians and stopping all contributions to the United Nations agency that supports five million Palestinian refugees: They need to learn to help themselves.…
Wishing away Palestinian refugees: End of US’ UNRWA aid explained
‘Doomsday scenario’ could unfold unless Palestinian agency replaces US funding within 30 days, spokesperson says. Al Jazeera, 01 Sep 2018 The UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) has called the decision by the Trump administration to no longer commit funding “deeply regrettable” and “shocking”. Chris Gunness, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief Works and Agency, said…
Medical Personnel Under Fire
3 paramedics killed and 103 medical staff injured The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) has launched a video titled: “Medical Personnel Under Fire”. The video sheds lights on the serious violations committed against Palestinian medical personnel while rescuing the casualties of the peaceful March of Return. The video shows that Israeli forces used excessive…
She slapped an Israeli soldier and was sent to prison. Now a Palestinian teen is free — and in the limelight
“We can change people’s minds by defending our cause” Ahed Tamimi sits July 30 in the backyard of her family house in the West Bank village of Nebi Saleh, near Ramallah. (Nasser Nasser / Associated Press) Noga Tarnopolsky, LA Times, Aug 02, 2018 Nebi Saleh, West Bank — Two days after her release from an…
Israeli Authorities Ban Fuel and Gas into the Gaza Strip
Tightening Closure For 3rd Time in Less Than Month Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), August 2, 2018 Ref: 80/2018 The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the Israeli authorities decisions to tighten the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip, completely close the sole commercial crossing “Karm Abu Salem” and ban the entry…
Israel’s Unequal Citizens
Israelis marching at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem in May to mark the occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967 (Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images). Sayed Kashua, New York Times, July 30, 2018 We were driving our rental car out of Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. “Dad,” my oldest daughter said as we listened to the radio, “what’s…
July 21, 2018
Maia Water Project at the Midwest Waterfest10 am – 6 pm Common Ground 2644 Branch Street, Middleton MRSCP will be tabling for the Maia Project at the Midwest Waterfest, A Celebration of Life – music, speakers, food, activism, information, fun! Stop by to check out the Waterfest events and stop by our table, we’ll be selling olive oil & olive oil…
July 22, 2018
Community Immigration Law Center Presentation1:00 pm First Unitarian Society 900 University Bay Drive, Madison First Unitarian Society and Congregation Shaarei Shamayim invite you to attend a program on July 22 at FUS to learn how you can help members of our Madison community who have immigration difficulties. Lawyers from the Community Immigration Law Center, which operates a free clinic…
July 26, 2018
Palestine and Us: Grassroots Mobilization with Rev. Graylan HaglerONLINE from The Palestine Center Washington, DC 12 noon – 1 pm Central Pastor and activist Rev. Graylan Hagler will highlight the intersections between the Palestinian cause and other contemporary social movements. His work has focused on Black liberation, economic justice, community organizing, and mobilizing faith communities. Watch the event live online. Biography of Speaker…
August 7, 2018
Annual Lanterns for Peace at Tenney Park[pdf-embedder url=”http://madisonrafah.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/lanterns-for-peace-2018-poster.pdf”] 6:00 pm 1500 Sherman Avenue Madison Free and open to the public. For more info visit Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Israeli Law Declares the Country the ‘Nation-State of the Jewish People’
A vote of 62 to 55 with two abstentions Arab lawmakers protesting as Parliament passed a law on Thursday that defines Israel as the “nation-state of the Jewish people.” (Olivier Fitoussi/Associated Press) David M. Halbfinger and Isabel Kershner, New York Times, July 19, 2018 JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has long demanded…
Democracy Now’s Yemen Report
Just Foreign Policy, July 19, 2018 This morning, Democracy Now had a hard-hitting report on the U.S.-Saudi war in Yemen. They combined highlights of the PBS Newshour series with an interview with Jane Ferguson, the PBS Newshour journalist who “smuggled” herself into Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen to report on conditions there. You can watch [and…
July 24, 2018
Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb on “Hope in the Shadow of the Wall”Tuesday, July 24 at 7 PM – 9 PM First Unitarian Society of Madison 900 University Bay Dr, Madison, Wisconsin Join us for a special presentation by Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, “Hope in the Shadow of the Wall” at First Unitarian Society of Madison. July 24, 7pm. Free and open to the public. Rev. Dr.…
July 25, 2018
Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb and Pastor Everett MitchellWednesday, July 25 at 7 PM – 9 PM Christ The Solid Rock Baptist Church 1502 Parkside Dr, Madison, Wisconsin Pastor Mitchell of Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church will present with Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb on “The Black Church and Palestinian Theologies: Intersections of Faith in the Face of Empire”. Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb…
Gay Liberation Network declares ‘We Stand With Palestine’ during Chicago’s Gay Pride Parade
Mondoweiss, June 24, 2018
The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act Is Back: Free Speech Is at Risk
Dr. James Zogby, Arab American Institute (AAI), June 09, 2018 Back in 2016, without debate or an actual vote, the US Senate stealthily passed a disturbing and dangerous piece of legislation called “The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2016” (AAA). The bill would have required the Department of Education (ED) to apply a State Department (DOS)…
Israeli Forces Kill 2 Palestinian Civilians and Wound 23 Others in Gaza
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), July 14, 2018 In a new war crime, on Saturday, 14 July 2018, Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinian civilians and wounded 23 others, including 2 children, in a series of airstrikes targeting an uninhabited al-Katiba building, which is located next to a public park in a densely populated area…
Supreme Court Upholds Muslim Ban
Statement from AAI Executive Director Maya Berry on the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Hawai’i, June 26, 2018 Washington, DC — Today, Arab American Institute Executive Director Maya Berry released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in the Muslim Ban case: “Along ideological lines, the Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s…
Nikki Haley brags about bullying the UN on behalf of Israel
If Americans Knew, May 10, 2017 Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and current U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, bragged to the number one pro-Israel lobbying organization in America about the many ways she’s blocked Palestinian human rights from being addressed by the United Nations. At AIPAC’s policy conference in March, she…
Speakout against Separating Families
International Socialist Organization – Madison Saturday, June 23 at 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM UW Library Mall, Madison, WI The Trump administration has ramped up its attacks on immigrants, separating children from their parents when crossing the border with no clear plan of reunifying them. The trauma and harm this is causing these families is…
No More Family Separation
Sign up for a June 30 Event! Saturday, June 30 at 3 p.m. State Capitol, State St Entrance Madison, WI Donald Trump and his administration are cruelly separating children from their families. But we won’t allow it to continue. On June 30, we’re rallying in Washington, D.C., and around the country to tell Donald Trump…
Debunking Four Myths Surrounding the Palestinian Protests
The justifications given for the deaths of Palestinian protesters just don’t add up Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, June 1, 2018. Israeli tear gas canisters fall toward Palestinian protesters and medics during clashes with Israeli security forces along the Israel-Gaza border. Photo courtesy dpa picture alliance/Alamy Stock Photo. Muhammad Shehada and Jamie Stern-Weiner, VICE, Jun 12…
Bernie Sanders’ Criticism Of Israel Is Radical. And He’s Taking It Mainstream
Aiden Pink, Information Clearing House, June 13, 2018 Not many in the media are noticing, which is understandable given the burden of keeping up with Donald Trump, but in the shadow of Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, Bernie Sanders is dramatically challenging Beltway discourse on Israel. In 2020, when Sanders likely runs for president, and journalists…
RE/MAX Israel Sells Properties in Illegal Israeli Settlements
CODEPINK, June 16, 2016 This weekend is the Presbyterian Church’s biannual General Assembly. Among the many social justice issues they will address is a resolution calling on real estate giant RE/MAX to stop facilitating property sales in illegal Israeli settlements. In 2016, right before the last Presbyterian Church General Assembly, RE/MAX founder and then-CEO Dave…
Palestine: Unlimited Photo Exhibits in Madison
Now Through Saturday, June 16: Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church, 1502 Parkside Dr., Madison 241-9796 First Congregational Church, 1609 University Ave., Madison 233-9751 Midvale Community Lutheran Church, 4329 Tokay Blvd., Madison, WI 238-7119 Memorial United Church of Christ, 5705 Lacy Rd, Fitchburg, WI 53711 273-1008 Lutheran Church of the Living Christ, 110 N. Gammon…
Palestine: Unlimited
Elaine Pasquini, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, 2017 March-April Throughout the month of December, photographs from the first annual Karimeh Abboud Award Competition were on display in St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco. The exhibition, “Palestine: Unlimited,” was presented by the charitable organization Bright Stars of Bethlehem. Bright Stars is dedicated to the…
Community Cocktail
Through June 30 at Gib’s Bar, 1380 Williamson St, Madison The Madison Rafah Sister City Project was chosen for the June Community Cocktail at Gib’s! Our custom cocktail is called “Soul Sister” to represent Sistering with MRSCP — it is a refreshing mix of vodka, arak, lemon and mint. Simply ask for the “Soul Sister”…
Cities for Palestine
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…
Israel ambassador to U.S. speaks at Milwaukee Rotary Club
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…
What is Israel doing in Alaska?!
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…
A Woman Dedicated to Saving Lives Loses Hers in Gaza Violence
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…
As daughter of Holocaust survivors, I decry occupation of Gaza
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,…
June 5, 2018
Protest Israel’s Ambassador in MilwaukeeMilwaukee 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 hospitals and clinics are overwhelmed
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…
WPR and a Pro-Palestinian Take On The Israel-Gaza Violence
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…
Donate for Gaza Now
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:…
Standing with my Muslim neighbors in the wake of Jerusalem and Gaza
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…
The Red Nation in Solidarity with Palestinians
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
