BURLINGTON-BETHLEHEM-ARAD SISTER CITY PROGRAM

WHO WE ARE

The Burlington-Bethlehem-Arad Sister City Program was founded in 1991 in the belief that citizens can help bring peace by working with each other across the troubled borders of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.
In October 1996, Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle and our Sister City Program hosted a four-day visit by Professor Walid Dajani, who represented Bethlehem Mayor Elias Freij, and by Arad Mayor Bezalel Tabib. Together, representatives of the three cities signed cooperative agreements—the first-ever tripartite relationship among U.S., Palestinian, and Israeli cities.

WHAT WE DO

The Burlington-Bethlehem-Arad Sister City Program sponsors numerous dialogues, exchanges, and projects aimed at developing mutual understanding and building people-to-people relationships. We sponsor film showings, art exhibits, speakers, and panel discussions. In addition, we sponsor and support humanitarian aid to our sister cities. Scroll down for more details.

  • Further questions? Would like to join the program?
    Email Mousa Ishaq at mkishaq at comcast dot net.
    Or come to one of our monthly meetings – 1st Monday of each month at 6pm at the Miller Center in Burlington.

SISTER CITY MEMBERS TALK

Listen to Vermont Public’s “Brave Little State”: the January 2024 episode featured the the Sister City Program “A Tale of Three Cities: Burlington and Her Sisters, Bethlehem and Arad“

Watch on Town Meeting TV: “Burlington Sister City Program: Bethlehem and Arad“

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 11, 2024

A Statement from the Burlington-Bethlehem-Arad Sister City Program

The Burlington-Bethlehem-Arad Sister City Program is deeply grieved and heartsick over the violence that is taking place in Palestine and Israel. To date, 1,200 Israelis, many of them civilians, were killed—and about 240 kidnapped— in the Hamas attacks in southern Israel, while 30,200 Palestinian civilians—the vast majority of them women and children—have been killed and 1.7 million people displaced by the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. In the Occupied West Bank, where our Sister City of Bethlehem is located, 412 Palestinians, including 106 children, have been killed by Israeli settlers and the Israeli military.[1] 

Each life lost is precious, and we mourn every one. We call upon Israel and Hamas to implement an immediate ceasefire to avoid additional civilian casualties. We call upon Hamas to release the hostages, including any remains, unconditionally. We call upon the international community to protect the Palestinians of Gaza from forced displacement.

As an organization that began in 1991 to promote understanding and friendship among the people of Palestine, Israel, and the United States, our sister city program works for peace based on the belief that ordinary people—despite borders, walls, and oceans—are citizens of the world who wish to live as equals in harmony with one another. One of our foundational principles is that we are all neighbors on this planet and that citizen diplomacy working community to community and people to people can have a lasting impact by building bridges, not walls.

Signed,

The Burlington-Bethlehem-Arad Sister City Program

[1]All casualty figures are from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (www.ochaopt.org).

SOME EVENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS WE HAVE SPONSORED

Over the years, we have supported many events and organizations such as
* Alrowwad, a not-for-profit community organization based in Aida (Refugee) Camp in Bethlehem, which initiated the concept of “beautiful resistance” and strives to deepen the notions of belonging, volunteering, creativity, and self-expression among children, youth, and women through education and visual and performing arts. Some years ago their youth group performed a play in Burlington
* In Arad we contributed to an after-school daycare program; we also contributed to painting a facility for children via UVM Hillel
* We sponsored teenagers from each of the three cities to attend the “Seeds of Peace” camp in Maine, a highly regarded summer program whose mission is to build peace in the Middle East “one friend at a time.
* Dar Yusuf Nasri Jacir for Art and Research, a multi-faceted project devoted to educational, cultural, and agricultural exchanges in Bethlehem



Scroll down to see examples of additional events and organizations we have supported over the years

Women of Vision – Brights Stars of Bethlehem at Al-Kalima University
Edward Said National Conservatory of Music – Bethlehem Branch
Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability
Caritas Baby Hospital
Holiday Party at Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation (BASR)

WCAX Jan 1, 2026

Sister City Program Renews Focus – a news report by Laura Ullman

To watch, click on link above

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The nation’s first-ever sister city partnership linking American, Israeli and Palestinian communities is still working to promote peace 30 years later—despite one partner city going dormant and ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

More than 400 Palestinians have been killed since the Israel-Gaza ceasefire agreement took place on Oct. 10. While media coverage has declined, many in our region remain committed to following the conflict.

One Vermont group has been meeting monthly since 1991. The Burlington-Bethlehem-Arad Sister City Program gathered on Monday night.

Thirty years ago, leaders from Arad, Israel, and Bethlehem, Palestine, flew to Burlington, Vermont, to sign onto a historic agreement. The three cities decided to become sisters. It was the first-ever tripartite relationship among U.S., Palestinian and Israeli cities.

“It was very, very contentious before it was formed and after it was formed,” said Burlington resident Frank Donath.

The group’s founders weren’t really looking to make a stir. What they wanted was to learn about different places from people, not their governments.

“In other countries, people are less fortunate. They do not have a government that necessarily represents them. So I think they are more clear-eyed about wanting to work with people. And we sometimes just think about working with the government,” said Essex resident Kristin Peterson-Ishaq.

Sister cities are about promoting international understanding and cooperation. Over the years, they’ve hosted students from Bethlehem and sponsored film screenings and speakers. Now, they’re focusing their efforts on philanthropy. They donate money to a baby hospital in Bethlehem and help fund a holiday party for disabled children there.

“And it’s not doing it for ourselves. It’s really doing it to help,” said the program’s president, Mousa Ishaq.

A lot has changed in the past 30 years. Arad hasn’t communicated with the group in 10 years. The local government there has become increasingly more conservative.

“And we say it’s dormant, we’ll keep working on it, and hopefully the Arad part of the Burlington, Bethlehem, Arad sister city will reactivate in the future,” said Ishaq.

Many at the sister city meeting have been a part of the group for decades. Some are new, but they get treated like old friends.

“My hope is the old hope. Where Christians, Jews, Muslims, it doesn’t matter what your religion is. You live happily ever after,” said Ishaq.

While Burlington’s members hope for this reality abroad, they bring it to life during their meetings in Miller Center on the first Monday of every month. They are looking for new participants.