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The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP)

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Nine killed when a missile struck a cafe Wednesday night where about a dozen locals had gathered to watch the World Cup. Israeli military said the target was a single terrorist. ― The New York Times, Jul 12, 2014

  • First ceasefire, then Palestinian liberation.

    First ceasefire, then Palestinian liberation.

    Jewish Voice for Peace, Jan 15, 2025. Today, after 15 months of the Israeli government’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, supported and enabled by the U.S. government, a 42-day ceasefire agreement was reported. We hold tightly to the hope of a halt to the Israeli military’s bombardments, an end to the starvation of Palestinians by…

  • On the Ceasefire in Gaza and the Road Ahead

    On the Ceasefire in Gaza and the Road Ahead

    Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC), Jan 15, 2025. After 465 days of Israel’s genocidal campaign, a ceasefire in Gaza has been confirmed. Israel’s violence has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians, including more than 17,500 children, and displaced 90% of Gaza’s population. Gaza’s infrastructure – schools, universities, mosques and churches, and hospitals –…

  • Jake Sullivan’s Mental Prison

    Jake Sullivan’s Mental Prison

    Jake Sullivan’s Mental Prison (A Sequel) by Peter Beinart Read on Substack So, we’re in this interesting moment where top Biden administration foreign policy officials are kind of going out into the country, trying to craft a public narrative about what they did in office as they prepare to leave office. There was Antony Blinken’s…

  • Madison Sabra Boycott Victory!

    Madison Sabra Boycott Victory!

    We wanted to let you know that in response to hundreds of letters and comments, Madison’s Willy Street Co-op has removed all Sabra products from the shelves!  Thanks to everyone who took action for making this victory possible!!   About 450 people contacted the co-op and we are deeply grateful to them for using the collective power of words…

  • Jan 23, 2025: Author Talk with Heidi Morrison

    Jan 23, 2025: Author Talk with Heidi Morrison

    Pearl Street Books, 323 Pearl St, LaCrosse, 6:30 – 7:30 pm. Join University of Wisconsin-La Crosse History Professor Heidi Morrison at Pearl Street Books January 23 at 6:30 PM to discuss her new book Lived Resistance: Against the War on Palestinian Children. This book examines how children endure and survive in war, as seen through the case study of Palestine.…

  • We Can’t Afford to Ignore This Threat to the People of Gaza

    We Can’t Afford to Ignore This Threat to the People of Gaza

    ABDULLAH SHIHIPAR, THE NATION, JANUARY 9, 2025. The very air that Gazans breathe could put their health in danger for many years to come. Gaza is no longer recognizable. Since Israel’s genocide began last year, more than 60% of its buildings have been destroyed or damaged – leading to more than 42 million tons of…

  • Free Moroccan human rights defender Ismail Lghazaoui

    Free Moroccan human rights defender Ismail Lghazaoui

    Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), January 10, 2025. Join the Global Pressure Campaign. We call on you to take immediate action to pressure the repressive Moroccan authorities to immediately release Moroccan human rights defender and agricultural engineer Ismail Lghazaoui, who is unjustly imprisoned for exercising his constitutional right to freedom of expression. His tireless advocacy for Palestinian…

  • Jan 18, 2025: The People’s March in Madison!

    Jan 18, 2025: The People’s March in Madison!

    Show Up for Palestine! James Madison Park, 614 E. Gorham Street, Madison, 1 – 4 pm. This event is part of the national People’s March. Throughout Inauguration Weekend, hundreds of everyday people will gather in Madison, WI and across the nation to demand the needs of the people over the interests of the wealthy elite. Together, we’ll defend…

  • Jan 11, 2025: Andaleeb Cartonera Bookmaking for Palestine

    Jan 11, 2025: Andaleeb Cartonera Bookmaking for Palestine

    Friends Meeting House, 1704 Roberts Court, Madison, 2-5 pm. You are invited to another session of producing handcrafted editions of various works in support of Palestine. More information

  • Here are the propaganda leaflets Israel is dropping over Gaza

    Here are the propaganda leaflets Israel is dropping over Gaza

    DROP SITE NEWS, JAN 08, 2025. The messages consist of crude warnings, threats and appeals to turn against Hamas and collaborate with Israel. With less than two weeks remaining before his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump reiterated his warning that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if the captives held by Hamas and…

  • Why the US has declared genocide in Sudan but not Gaza

    Why the US has declared genocide in Sudan but not Gaza

    PBS News Hour, Jan 8, 2025. “The policy of the United States towards that particular conflict.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amna Nawaz (@amnaonpbs)

  • AJP Action Blasts Biden for Enabling Israel’s Genocide in Gaza

    AJP Action Blasts Biden for Enabling Israel’s Genocide in Gaza

    [WASHINGTON D.C., JANUARY 09, 2025] – Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action) condemns President Joe Biden and members of his administration for continuing their unwavering support for Israel as it continues to commit genocide against Palestinians. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and even former Israeli military officials…

  • Jan 3-15/16, 2025: Extended! Gaza Film “From Ground Zero” at AMC Fitchburg & Baraboo

    Jan 3-15/16, 2025: Extended! Gaza Film “From Ground Zero” at AMC Fitchburg & Baraboo

    From Ground Zero at AMC Fitchburg and Baraboo Arabic with English Subtitles Palestine’s Official Submission for the 2025 Academy Awards, From Ground Zero, is a collection of revealing stories from 22 Palestinian filmmakers living through war, who capture their lives in Gaza amidst war. Using a blend of animation, documentary, and fiction, they create a…

  • Where is Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, and what is Israel doing to him?

    Where is Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, and what is Israel doing to him?

    TAREQ S. HAJJAJ, MONDOWEISS,  JANUARY 3, 2025. It has been one week since the Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, Director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, was detained by Israeli forces. Reports indicate he is being held inside a notorious torture facility, but Israeli officials won’t confirm where he is.  His white coat stands out in stark contrast…

  • Dwight Howard: ‘I tweeted Free Palestine.’

    Dwight Howard: ‘I tweeted Free Palestine.’

    ‘Less than 10 minutes later, I got a call from the NBA commissioner.’ By HoopsHype | January 7, 2025 Dwight Howard: But when you’re in the NBA, there are a lot of things you want to say, but you know if you say them, there will be repercussions. You could get into a lot of trouble. For example,…

  • Group of Quebec doctors suspends non-essential work Monday to protest bloodshed in Gaza

    Group of Quebec doctors suspends non-essential work Monday to protest bloodshed in Gaza

    CBC, January 6, 2025 As Israel’s deadly assaults on Gazans and their fragile health-care system rage on, some Quebec doctors are rising in protest by taking sick leave Monday and suspending their non-essential activities for the day. United under the banner of Quebec Doctors Against Genocide and Health Workers Alliance for Palestine, this group of medical…

  • Willy Street Update on Sabra Boycott

    Willy Street Update on Sabra Boycott

    Co-op News, Jan 6, 2025. “We have decided to drop the five Sabra products” In November, 1% of Owners (337) requested a boycott of Sabra Hummus. Per our Boycott Policy, in December, we initiated a two-week comment period, which ended on December 16, 2024. These Owners called for Willy Street Co-op to remove Sabra Hummus from…

  • ‘Where the Hell Is Doctor Hussam?’ Israel Gives Mixed Messages on Gaza Hospital Director

    ‘Where the Hell Is Doctor Hussam?’ Israel Gives Mixed Messages on Gaza Hospital Director

    “Dr. Abu Safiya’s unlawful detention is emblematic of the broader attacks on the healthcare sector in Gaza and Israel’s attempts to annihilate it. It is part and parcel of Israel’s genocidal intent and genocidal acts—meant to inflict conditions of life CALCULATED TO BRING ABOUT DESTRUCTION OF PALESTINIANS.” —Agnès Callamard; Director, Amnesty International  JESSICA CORBETT, COMMON…

  • Rights Group Finds Israel Uses Gaza ‘Safe Zones’ to ‘Hide a Genocide’

    Rights Group Finds Israel Uses Gaza ‘Safe Zones’ to ‘Hide a Genocide’

    The analysis was published a day before Israeli forces bombed yet another “safe zone,” killing at least 12 Palestinians, including children. BRETT WILKINS, COMMON DREAMS, Jan 02, 2025 A report published on Wednesday details how Israel forcibly expels Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in order to facilitate—and hide—genocidal attacks in evacuated areas, while forcing refugees into alleged humanitarian “safe…

  • The Scramble To Find The Gaza Doctor In The White Coat

    The Scramble To Find The Gaza Doctor In The White Coat

    Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya is one of six medical workers with the Chicago-based organization MedGlobal who remain in Israeli custody.  Jonah Valdez, THE INTERCEPT, December 31 2024 AS THE ISRAELI military closed in on Kamal Adwan Hospital in recent weeks — the last remaining major health care facility in northern Gaza — Dr. Hussam Abu…

  • Jan 11-12, 2025: January Unity Gathering

    Jan 11-12, 2025: January Unity Gathering

    You are invited to this two-day gathering to strengthen popular unity and plans for advancing world peace, justice, sustainability, and democracy throughout Wisconsin. Saturday and Sunday:  People will meet for most of both days from 9 am until 4 pm  in the North Hearing Room (225NW) and the GAR Hall (413N) of the State Capitol Building.…

  • Feb 22, 2025 Update: People’s Forum on the Black Freedom Struggle & Palestine!

    Feb 22, 2025 Update: People’s Forum on the Black Freedom Struggle & Palestine!

    ‘BLACK FREEDOM STRUGGLE & PALESTINE!’ TO FEATURE INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS MADISON, WISCONSIN – An educational forum discussing the historical relationships between the Black Freedom Struggle, Palestine and other people’s liberation struggles internationally, will take place at 2222 S Park Street, Madison, WI from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. The event is free and open to the…

  • What It’s Truly Like to Sleep in a Damp, Frigid Tent: A Report From Gaza

    What It’s Truly Like to Sleep in a Damp, Frigid Tent: A Report From Gaza

    Five newborns have died of hypothermia amid the cold in Gaza. Doctors tell Drop Site the deaths are a direct result of Israel’s blockades ABUBAKER ABED, DROP SITE NEWS, JAN 1, 2025 DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA—On the morning of Dec 28th, Yahya Al-Batraan, a 40-year-old father of five sons and three daughters, got up in his…

  • Israeli forces arrest Gaza hospital chief after ‘burning doctors and patients alive’

    Israeli forces arrest Gaza hospital chief after ‘burning doctors and patients alive’

    Troops beat Hussam Abu Safiya and kidnapped him alongside other doctors, leaving northern Gaza without any health services By MEE staff, Middle East Eye, 28 December 2024 Israeli forces detained the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, after setting the health facility in northern Gaza on fire with doctors and patients inside, according to…

  • And Now There Is Blood on my Name, and on the Name of America

    And Now There Is Blood on my Name, and on the Name of America

    Julia Vinograd, “For My Tree In Israel,” 1988

  • Today at Tuba in Masafer Yatta

    Today at Tuba in Masafer Yatta

    December 22, 2024 Settlers have been in the village of Tuba multiple times in the last 48 hours. They chased all the sheep and the camels, using dogs and a flock of sheep, they completely destroyed the cultivated grazing crops of the camels, they chased and harassed multiple shepherds, stole a donkey which they rode…

  • The mystery is not why we Irish have responded to Israel’s barbarism. It’s why others have not.

    The mystery is not why we Irish have responded to Israel’s barbarism. It’s why others have not.

    I don’t believe in the idea of being on the right side of history. The histories of the future are none of our concern. Our concern is the present Mark O’Connell, The Irish Times, Dec 21 2024 A few weeks ago, I interviewed the historian Rashid Khalidi. Khalidi, who recently retired as professor of Modern…

  • Dec 21, 2024 Update: Interfaith “Longest Night” Gaza Vigil

    Dec 21, 2024 Update: Interfaith “Longest Night” Gaza Vigil

    Around 75 people braved the cold weather and joined the longest night vigil and service earlier this evening. I am overwhelmed by the turnout and the positive response of all participants and the cars beeping in support as they drove by. It was a wonderful night of solidarity.   We had reporters there from Channel3000 and…

  • Not Another Bomb

    Not Another Bomb

    Why as a Jew I Stand with Palestinian Liberation BY MARC ROSENTHAL, THE PROGRESSIVE, DECEMBER 18, 2024 grew up post-World War II in Madison, Wisconsin, in the shadow of the Holocaust. Our rabbi was a survivor of Auschwitz. As one of my most influential teachers, he instilled in me the understanding that silence in the face…

  • End-of-Year Appeal

    End-of-Year Appeal

    Survival in Gaza, Plant an Olive Tree, and Replace the Sheep Your help is needed to support three projects in Palestine Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP) is asking you to help Palestinians survive and remain on their lands in both Gaza and Masafer Yatta through You can learn the latest on these projects by reading…

  • ‘We kill civilians and count them as terrorists’: Israeli reservists recount Gaza service

    ‘We kill civilians and count them as terrorists’: Israeli reservists recount Gaza service

    With Tel Aviv focused on expanding its occupation of southern Syria, Israeli soldiers say the army is operating freely inside Gaza as ‘an armed independent militia without laws’ News Desk, THE CRADLE, DEC 18, 2024 Israeli reservists who served in the Netzarim Corridor, a recently built road that splits the Gaza Strip in two, have…

  • Erased & Suppressed: Palestinian Testimonies of Meta’s Censorship

    Erased & Suppressed: Palestinian Testimonies of Meta’s Censorship

    7amleh, the Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, has released a new report titled “Erased and Suppressed: Palestinian Testimonies of Meta’s Censorship”. It highlights direct testimonies from Palestinian influencers, journalists, and media outlets who have faced Meta’s discriminatory practices. The report exposes Meta’s approach to silencing Palestinian content and suppressing the Palestinian narrative, particularly…

  • Dec 23, 2024: Peace walk through the malls

    Dec 23, 2024: Peace walk through the malls

    We were inspired by this video from Cardiff  and we’ll replicate it here in Madison. If interested, contact us at warabolition@gmail.com View this post on Instagram A post shared by Parents & Teachers for Palestine – Cardiff (@parentsteachersforpalestine)

  • The War in Gaza Is Far Worse Than You Thought

    The War in Gaza Is Far Worse Than You Thought

    The Airwars report shows a rate of civilian slaughter “incomparable with any 21st century air campaign. It is by far the most intense, destructive, and fatal conflict for civilians that Airwars has ever documented.” MATTHEW PETTI, REASON, 12.13.2024 How many people in Gaza have been killed by the Israel-Hamas war? For a long time, the only…

  • Inside Israel’s opportunistic invasion of Syria

    Inside Israel’s opportunistic invasion of Syria

    Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out an unprovoked invasion of Syria with the support of the U.S. The goals are clear: take strategic land, render Syria defenseless for the future, and redraw the political map of the Middle East.  BY MITCHELL PLITNICK, MONDOWEISS, DECEMBER 13, 2024 Even as Bashar al-Assad was scrambling to…

  • The Last Two Weeks Have Been the Most Dire in the Gaza War: Hospital Director

    The Last Two Weeks Have Been the Most Dire in the Gaza War: Hospital Director

    Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza “will turn into a graveyard for everyone inside” amid ongoing Israeli attacks HERMAN GILL, DROP SITE NEWS, DEC 16, 2024 Since the beginning of October, all three remaining hospitals in northern Gaza have endured relentless military attacks by Israel. Only three healthcare facilities in northern Gaza remain “minimally functional,”…

  • Dec 13, 2024: West Bank Update from Cassandra Dixon on WORT

    Dec 13, 2024: West Bank Update from Cassandra Dixon on WORT

    WORT 89.9FM Madison · A Report from the West Bank, Then an Update on Syria On today’s show, host Esty Dinur speaks with activist and longtime friend of the show Cassandra Dixon who just returned from the West Bank. They discuss the settler outposts in the area and violence facing Palestinians. They also discuss the realties facing olive farmers and shepherds in Masafer…

  • East Jerusalem, West Bank Palestinians displaced en masse

    East Jerusalem, West Bank Palestinians displaced en masse

    Home Demolitions spike to 15 year high Israel, like every other settler-colonial state, is premised on the erasure of the indigenous population. Demolishing Palestinian homes to drive them of their lands is a critical tool in the advancement of zionism. Cody O’Rourke, Good Shepherd Collective, December 9, 2024 Based on the data over the last…

  • GAZA IN CONTEXT Series: The Colonial History that Shaped the Modern Middle East

    GAZA IN CONTEXT Series: The Colonial History that Shaped the Modern Middle East

    OnlineJan 5, 12, 26 and Feb 2, 2024 2:00 – 3:30 pm CT Massachusetts Peace Action Education Fund, December 12, 2024 The Israeli war on Gaza – widely considered genocide – did not begin on October 7, 2023. This series will look at the background of Zionism and colonialism that laid the foundation for ongoing…

  • Deadline for removing Sabra Hummus from Willy Street Co-op is December 16!

    Deadline for removing Sabra Hummus from Willy Street Co-op is December 16!

    Special Update & Action Request Member requests to remove Sabra Hummus from the shelves at Willy Street co-op have passed the threshold needed to trigger a two-week comment period, after which the management will have three weeks to decide. If you are a co-op member, we need you to take action by Monday, Dec. 16, when…

  • ADC Statement on Syria and Continued Israeli Aggression

    ADC Statement on Syria and Continued Israeli Aggression

    Israel’s recent escalation in Syria is emblematic of its broader strategy to reshape the Middle East to its advantage. Washington, D.C. | www.adc.org | December 12, 2024 – The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) envisions an Arab world free of foreign intervention and imperialism. Our longstanding position supports a region that is democratic, sovereign, and respectful of the…

  • December 13: The War on Palestine and Lebanon and its Environmental Effects

    December 13: The War on Palestine and Lebanon and its Environmental Effects

    Online 11 am CT On Rendering Uninhabitable: The War on Palestine and Lebanon and its Environmental Effects Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and its expansion of killing and destruction in Lebanon have targeted the ecologies and environments that sustain the livelihood of Palestinians and Lebanese.  In Gaza, Palestinians face the destruction of water infrastructure and agricultural…

  • Dec 17, 2024: Shifting the Narrative to Restore UNRWA Aid

    Dec 17, 2024: Shifting the Narrative to Restore UNRWA Aid

    Online 5 pm – 6:30 pm CT Millions of Palestinians in Gaza and throughout the Middle East rely on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for humanitarian aid. Yet earlier this year, U.S. funding for UNRWA was cut off, driven in part by disinformation linking UNRWA to Hamas. It’s critical to counter these…

  • Dec 15, 2024: Uprooting the Jewish National Fund

    Dec 15, 2024: Uprooting the Jewish National Fund

    Online 1:30 pm CT  Join the Green Olive Collective to discuss the central role of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) in the ongoing displacement of Palestinians. We are proud to host Ghassan Najjar of the Burin Land and Farming Cooperative and Umar al-Ghubari of Zochrot for a conversation about the central role of the JNF in the…

  • Dec 15, 2024: International Solidarity with the Palestinian People

    Dec 15, 2024: International Solidarity with the Palestinian People

    Online 10 am – 11:30 am CT Global Solidarity for Peace in Palestine (GSPP) is a coalition of organizations from around the world committed to defending the rights of Palestinians and ending the occupation. Our movement is built on the principles of justice, human dignity, and respect for international law. You are invited to join…

  • Tell the Senate: No more repression of the Palestine rights movement

    Tell the Senate: No more repression of the Palestine rights movement

    Jewish Voice for Peace, November 27, 2024 As the Senate heads into its final weeks before the new Congress, we must block two incredibly dangerous pieces of repressive legislation. The first is a version of legislation that just passed the House, known as the “Nonprofit Killer Bill,” which would give the incoming Trump administration the…

  • Report: We Will Return

    Report: We Will Return

    An analysis of the escalating forced displacement of Palestinian communities in the West Bank since the start of the genocide in Gaza Stop the Wall, 10 December 2024  The Rights of Return, Reparation, Restitution, Compensation and Non-Repetition Remain the Key to Justice for the Palestinian People In this report, we have detailed the expulsion of…

  • Dec 14, 2024: Andaleeb Cartonera Workshop at Madison Friends’ Meeting House

    Dec 14, 2024: Andaleeb Cartonera Workshop at Madison Friends’ Meeting House

    1704 Roberts Court, Madison 2-5 pm Everyone is invited to another Andaleeb Cartonera workshop to make cardboard covers for books, hosted this time by the great folks at the Madison Meeting House. Come and find out how you can support Palestinian liberation and speaking truth to power with this amazing and beautiful new project. 

  • Dec 14, 2024: Informational Picket at Willy Street Co-op North

    Dec 14, 2024: Informational Picket at Willy Street Co-op North

    2817 Sherman Avenue, Madison 1-3 pm Please join MRSCP, Revolutionary Socialists of Madison, and UE Local 1186 of Willy Street Co-op for an informational picket and leafleting at Willy Street North, the only one of the three co-op locations currently carrying Sabra Hummus. In response to requests from 1% of co-op members over the past six…

  • U.S. Nonprofit Raised $300,000 for Israeli Sniper Unit Killing Unarmed Palestinians

    U.S. Nonprofit Raised $300,000 for Israeli Sniper Unit Killing Unarmed Palestinians

    Other U.S. nonprofits have raised up to $100 million annually for the IDF, underscoring the deep financial and ideological ties between pro-Israel organizations in the United States and the Israeli military. U.S. Nonprofit Raised $300,000 for Israeli Sniper Unit Associated With Killings of Unarmed Palestinians by Drop Site News “Your support allowed us to get…