“We do not believe that we can sit by and watch as people are being slaughtered, as children are being starved to death, and as our governments refuse to do anything about it–except, you know, maybe some strong words here and there. We have a responsibility as global civil society to take actions when our governments fail, and we are going to do everything that we can to make sure that we are protected as much as possible.”

That is human rights attorney and social justice activist Huwaida Arraf talking about the upcoming Gaza Freedom Flotilla. She will be on traveling into Gaza on the flotilla which depart later this month. Cassandra Dixon, Madison-based activist, will also be on the flotilla.Their aim is to deliver 5,500 tons of humanitarian aid. Huwaida and Cassandra join host Esty Dinur to talk about logistics, risks, and motivations behind the trip.

Huwaida joined us in June 2010 after a flotilla led by Mavi Marmara that was attacked by Israeli forces. We played a short clip during the show, and the full episode can be heard here:

Then, we turn our attention to war tax resistance as the proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2025 allots nearly $850 billion for the Department of Defense.  The National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC) says they oppose militarism and war and refuse to be complicit in paying taxes for such violence Esty talks with Paula Rogge who has been practicing war tax resistance for 39 years and organizes with NWTRCC. 

Event mentioned during the show: The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project hosting Commemorating the Life of Rachel Corrie, on April 14th at 944 E. Gorham St from 1:30pm to 3:30 pm.

About our guests:

Huwaida Arraf is a Palestinian-American civil/human rights attorney and social justice activist. She has been involved in numerous legal and grassroots initiatives for Palestinian rights for the last two decades, including co-founding the Nobel Peace Prize-nominated International Solidarity Movement (ISM), and leading the Free Gaza Movement, which organized sea voyages to Gaza to confront and challenge Israel’s illegal blockade on the two million Palestinians living there. Huwaida currently practices civil rights law in Detroit and was a 2022 candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives for Michigan’s 10th Congressional District. 

Cassandra Dixon is 65 and lives in Wisconsin, US, at a small catholic worker house providing overnight hospitality to women and children visiting a nearby federal prison.at Oxford, Wisconsin. She works as a residential carpenter in Madison and has volunteered regularly in the West Bank since 2006, helping to accompany schoolchildren and farming families whose lives have been impacted by the construction and expansion between their villages. She is a member of Madison Rafah Sister City Project, and has been involved in many events to raise funds for humanitarian aid, as well as congressional visits and other efforts to call for a ceasefire.

Dr. Paula Rogge is a board-certified family physician and former clinical assistant professor in the UW Department of Family Medicine. Since medical school,