COMPROMISE SOUGHT ON RAFAH
TWO SIDES MEET, AGREE TO CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS
Judith Davidoff, The Capital Times, May 26, 2004
Is compromise possible on the contentious proposal for Madison to form a sister city relationship with the Palestinian city of Rafah?
Potentially.
After about two hours of spirited and head-spinning discussion on the proposed sister city project and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, representatives on both sides of the debate agreed Tuesday night to meet again to see if middle ground can be found.
The Madison Jewish Community Council, which opposes the Rafah sister city proposal, agreed to consider whether there was any way it could support the project. And the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project agreed to entertain the Jewish council’s notion that Madison could partner with another Palestinian city in the West Bank or Gaza Strip instead of Rafah.
Ald. Ken Golden, District 10, who attended the meeting organized by City Council President Brenda Konkel, warned both groups that a lack of community consensus on the proposal made it an unpredictable bet before the council.
On the other hand, Golden said, “If you come up collectively with something Madison and all you folks can be proud of, the issue of the council will be a technicality at that point.”
The idea of a public forum was floated, but was put off in favor of another meeting between the two groups.
The recent weeklong excursion by the Israeli military into the Rafah refugee camp, in which dozens of homes were demolished or damaged and some 40 Palestinians were killed, has brought the world’s attention to Rafah and provided an international backdrop to the local sister city effort.
Amy Scarr of the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project said the attacks have galvanized support for its proposal. “We had high attendance at our last meeting,” she said. “People are following this in the news and are asking questions. It’s stimulating public discussion and education.”
Tuesday night’s meeting was the first time representatives of the sister city project and the Madison Jewish Community Council met to discuss the controversial project, though each had responded to the other’s charges via letters to the mayor and City Council and in the press.
Steve Morrison, director of the Jewish council, repeated his criticism of the Rafah project Tuesday night, charging that the city is at the epicenter of a vast terrorist smuggling operation. He also condemned as anti-Semitic the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, a group in the Gaza Strip that is working with members of the Rafah sister city project.
Sister city supporters dispute these charges and say their purpose is to provide humanitarian aid to, and establish cultural ties with, Palestinians oppressed in the Israeli-occupied territories.
Although the City Council originally was expected to take action on the sister city proposal June 1, it most certainly will refer the measure to give time for discussion and potential compromise.
The groups agreed to report back on their discussions by July 6.
E-mail: jdavidoff@madison.com
CAPTION(S):
EDI ISRAEL/ASSOCIATED PRESS
An Israeli soldier pulls out of the Palestinian town of Rafah on Monday after a six-day search for militants and weapon-smuggling tunnels that left 41 Palestinians dead.
Cite this article
“COMPROMISE SOUGHT ON RAFAH TWO SIDES MEET, AGREE TO CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS.(METRO).” The Capital Times. Capital Newspapers. 2004. Retrieved November 15, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-117238655.html
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