Come to Madison Wisconsin, become a terrorist

[Mediocrates]

http://www.maarivintl.com/index.cfm?...articleID=7708

A Sister for Rafah?

Tumult in the United States: Will Rafah be declared a sister city to Madison, Wisconsin? “This is camouflage for anti-Israeli activity”
Arik Bender

A storm is brewing in the United States over a Madison, Wisconsin city council vote next week. Jewish Agency representative in Madison, Shir Yechezkel, told Maariv Online that the idea to forge a sister city alliance with Rafah was raised by a human rights organization whose members are defined as radical left-wing activists.

According to Yechezkel, the organization’s activists are distributing harsh anti-Israeli propaganda in the city, comparing Israeli operations in Rafah to Nazi acts in the Holocaust. Several Jews are among the most prominent activists.

“The organization is, under the guise of humanitarian reasons and civil as well as human rights, attempting to persuade city council members to agree to sign a sister city pact with Rafah”, said Yechezkel. “But a review of the ads distributed by the organization reveals that this is a front for a venomous anti-Israeli campaign”.

As of now, seven of the 21 city council members in Madison support the proposal to make Rafah a sister city. According to Yechezkel, if the left-wing activists succeed in their mission, the city of Olympia will follow suit. Olympia was the home of activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed to death by an IDF bulldozer.

Next week, the city council will convene a face-off between representatives of the organization with representatives from the Jewish community. Community members invited Jewish Agency delegates to participate in the face-off and present the actual reasons for Israeli operations in Rafah.

“The atmosphere is charged. Demonstrations for and against the move are taking place every day. This story is being carried across the United States. The New York Times has sent correspondents to cover events in Madison”, she said.

Yechezkel added that Jews are extremely concerned about the vote: “The dispute has already inflicted damage against Jews. They are presented as people who allegedly oppose a humanitarian cause. Particularly emphasized is the fact that this is a confrontation among Jews themselves, and that the Jews in Wisconsin are essentially serving the interests of the State of Israel”.

[Oh Jerusalem]

Proposed Rafah ties ire Madison
By MICHAEL MYLREA

A proposal to establish a sister-city arrangement with Rafah in the Gaza Strip has divided the 215,000 residents of Madison, Wisconsin.

While some support the adoption of Rafah as part of a relief effort to help the city's thousands of refugees, opponents argue that the city is a refuge for terrorists and that Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, responsible for implementing the project on the Rafah side, supports terror and is anti-Semitic.

Madison, a college town with a left-leaning reputation, currently has 10 official sister-city alliances. The program is meant to foster peace and cross-cultural understanding.

Madison's program has previously come under fire for establishing controversial sister-city arrangements, but the friction has never equalled that caused by the Rafah proposal.

The city's 5,000 or so Jewish residents have amplified the opposition voice, but remain divided on the proposal.

In a letter to Madison's Common Council, Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman wrote that residents of Madison and Rafah could mutually benefit from the "personal connections of this project."

"As violence continues to destroy so many lives in the Middle East, it is essential that those of us who are fortunate to live in peaceful lands reach out to those who suffer from war and bloodshed," she wrote.

Steven Morrison, executive director of Madison Jewish Council, which opposes the proposal, said the sister-city arrangement is being used as a political tool to bash Israel and expressed concern over the involvement of Al-Mezan Center.

"That the city of Madison would propose to align itself with such a group is unworthy of our great city," he said. "Al-Mezan is on record in the Durban anti-racism conference denying the Holocaust, proposing anti-Semitic resolutions, and participating in demonstrations carrying the most vile of placards. As long as Al-Mezan is part of this project their is no way to assure that funds raised in Madison will not be used to support terror."

But Al-Mezan director Issam Younis, who attended the Durban conference, said these allegations are untrue and that he hopes to foster a closer bond with Madison.

"The Madison committee and Al-Mezan are entirely committed to the development of deeper understanding between the two communities and the accomplishment of humanitarian betterment; are non-political and non-partisan, endorsing no political movements or formulae; and are committed to non-violence," he said.

Kavanna, a progressive Jewish student group in Madison, which opposes the partnership, proposed that Kibbutz Metzer and Kaffin, neighboring Israeli and Palestinian villages separated by the Green Line, would make better alternatives for a sister city than Rafah.

"These Israelis and Palestinians have lived as peaceful neighbors for decades, and today both sides oppose the location of the new Israeli security fence being built through Kaffin's fields," said Jeremy Manela, a member of Kavanna.

"Madison could become sisters with both Kaffin and Kibbutz Metzer as they try to resolve this issue."
Dr. Emad Sha'at, deputy mayor of Rafah, said the partnership will help foster stronger cultural ties and raise awareness to the city's struggle "with poverty and occupation."

"The people of Rafah are a peaceful, loving people under occupation and hope this [partnership] will bring people of Rafah closer to the people of America," he said. "This will help people of Madison understand are culture and standard of living in Rafah – the most deprived city in Palestine."

Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said he has withdrawn his support for the Rafah proposal due to the growing divide between opposing groups.
Meanwhile, Madison's Common Council has delayed a decision so that members of the Jewish Community Council and the Madison-Rafah project can work out a compromise, which might include adding a sister city in Israel.