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International Twinning Links page.

Church / Religious groups - Towns Gaza / U.K. - Towns West Bank / U.K. - Universities U.K. - International Groups

Twinning is a new concept but there are some towns and cities already twinned with Palestinian communities.

The Britain Palestine Twinning network is happy to help or assist groups worldwide who wish to create grassroots links with Palestine.

Have you filled in the questionnaire? If your group has not already done so, or is new and wishes to join the Twinning network, please download it here, and return it us as soon as possible (we need it for the next Conference).

1 - Leichhardt (Sydney) April 2007. Following representations from the local community, Leichhardt Council to investigate a friendship link with Hebron. The community organisation, Friends of Hebron has worked as an informal, grassroots organisation, but is planning a formal launch early in July. E-mail

Examples of the response from Australian newspapers to the recent twinning initiative;

Australian Jewish News - www.ajn.com.au

The Telegraph - a popular Sydney tabloid - www.news.com.au

The Australian - respectable but right-wing and very pro-Israel national paper - www.theaustralian.news.com.au

2 - Marrickville-Bethlehem. On 20th June 2007, Marrickville Council formalised its sister-city relationship with the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. There was strong community support from residents for this decision although the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies were critical. www.friendsofbethlehem.org

August 2007 - Good news! Following a visit by the Mayor of Bethlehem, Marrickville is now twinned with Bethlhem officially.

"Marrickville and Bethlehem formalised a long standing sister city agreement on Friday 31/8/2007 at a civic reception held at the Marrickville Council Chambers in Petersham.
Mayor of Marrickville Morris Hanna OAM and Mayor of Bethlehem Dr Victor Batarseh signed the sister city agreement, which replaces the Memorandum of Understanding that the two cities have shared since 2000. “We welcome Bethlehem as a sister city, which adds to our other relationships with Funchal in Portugal, Keelung in Taiwan, Kos in Greece, Larnaca in Cyprus, Safita in Syria and to 6 October in Egypt,” Councillor Hanna said.
Marrickville Council will support the people of Bethlehem in seeking peace and international understanding of their situation, and believes the sister city relationship can help foster these things."

Australian Jewish News (August 2007) - www.ajn.com.au. "The deputy mayor of the inner city municipality Peter Olive pointed our that their claims that Bethlehem was controlled by Hamas were without foundation. He commented that "But if you want to say who is truly in control of Bethlehem, which is unfortunately surrounded by Israel's so-called security wall, you could argue that Bethlehem is dominated by Israel more than anybody else. Marrickville Peace Group supported the move. The Mayor of Bethlehem is expected to visit Marrickville in August this year."

Marrickville pioneered the idea of twinning or "sister cities" in Australia. Contact

Natal - Bethlehem (December 1999)

Valinhos - Bethlehem (November 1996)

Many French communities are twinned (jumelage) under the "Association de Jumelage Palestine-France (AJPF)" programme.

Aulnoye Aymeries - Beit Sahour

Chatres - Bethlehem (September 1994)

Dunkirk - Gaza.

Lille - Nablus (Naplouse) (1998)

Paray le Monial - Bethlehem (September 2003)

Saint Gerblain (Nantes) - Bethlehem (July 1992)

Strasbourg - Bethlehem (June 1998)

Tourcoing - Rafah

Alessandria – Jericho (2004)

Assisi – Bethlehem (December 1989).

Cititavecchia - Bethlehem (October 1998)

Como - Nablus

Florence - Nablus, Bethlehem (June 1962)

Greccio - Bethlehem (December 1992)

Lazio - Bethlehem (June 1996)

Milan - Bethlehem (May 2000)

Orvieto - Bethlehem (February 1996)

Pratovecchio and Bethlehem (March 1993)

San Miniato - Bethlehem

Sant'Anastasia - Bethlehem (September 2003)

Umbria - Bethlehem (October 1997)

Toscana - Nablus

Verona - Bethlehem (May 1998)

Turin – Gaza

Sarpsborg - Bethlehem (May 1997)

Stavanger - Nablus. Nablus society "Stop the wall of shame". The twinning has been in place for twenty years and Stavanger Council send a party to Nablus every year. Five secondary schools in Stavanger are directly twinned with schools in Nablus. Palestinian students are also invited to Norway, to live with local families and spend a few weeks in their twinned school. Stavanger is also twinned with Netanya in Israel.

The Twinning School Project between Nablus & Stavanger - www.nabsta.jeeran.com

Tromsø – Gaza (2001)

Lisbon - Bethlehem (November 1995)

South Africa

Pretoria - Bethlehem (April 1999)

Khasafiort - Nablus

Saint Petersburg - Twinned with Bethlehem (May 2003)

Arbizu (Basque country June 2005) - Marda, West Bank

Barcelona - Gaza City

Delegation from Barcelona visits Gaza City. (Maan News 24 / 09 / 2007)

Gaza – Ma'an – A Spanish delegation from the Spanish city of Barcelona in Spain on Monday condemned "the tyrannical Israeli conduct against the Gaza Strip" which they said was aimed at depriving people of food, medicine and freedom. The delegation is currently on a visit to Gaza City, which is twinned with the city of Barcelona. The delegation met on Monday with the Mayor of Gaza City, Majid Abu Ramadan and handed over a letter of solidarity from the Mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Hereu, who expressing the solidarity of the district of Catalonia with Gaza City and its residents.

Cordoba - Bethlehem (November 1988)

Burlington (Vermont) - Bethlehem (September 1993)

Calipatria (California) - Jericho. www.calipatria.com

Joplin - Bethlehem

Olympia (Washington) - Rafah. www.orscp.org

Orlando - Bethlehem (May 2001)

Madison (Wisconsin) - Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP). www.madisonrafah.org. Newspaper article - www.theolympian.com

The Palestinian town of Ya'bad near Jenin in the West Bank is looking for an American partner. www.sister-cities.org

Partnership and Peace Tour 2008 - www.sister-cities.org/Travel/MiddleEast

- Is your town / city twinned with a community in Palestine or Israel? www.lgib.gov.uk/international

Useful link - www.sister-cities.org

Bethlehem has an established twinning programme - www.bethlehem-city.org

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Gallery
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The Israeli Apartheid wall
"security barrier"

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Twinning Banner

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Zaytoun Olive Oil

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Getting there - Airlines activists use
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