About the city and the twinning
About Marrickville
Marrickville is a suburb in Sydney’s Inner West, about seven kilometres southwest of the city centre, in New South Wales, Australia. Its industrial heritage is reflected in its former factories and warehouses, which stand alongside residential streets and local businesses. Marrickville was formerly the centre of a separate local government area and now forms part of the Inner West Council area.
About the twinning agreement
In July 2000 Marrickville Council issued a resolution to establish a Sister City relationship with Bethlehem. A gift and an invitation to visit Marrickville were sent to the then Mayor of Bethlehem. This invitation was repeated in 2004 and again in 2006. The then Mayor of Bethlehem, Mr. Victor Batarseh, and a Bethlehemite delegation visited Marrickville in 2007 to sign the agreement approved by Marrickville Council, despite an objection from the Jewish Board of Deputies in New South Wales. The agreement included seven points of collaboration: the promotion of justice aims and outcomes; the promotion of environmental sustainability; the encouragement of youth participation in the Sister Cities programme; the promotion of local enterprise and employment opportunities; cultural, education, civic and sports exchanges; and the sharing of knowledge and skills.
This agreement was followed by a number of visits to Bethlehem: by the Mayor of Marrickville in May 2010 and by Councillor Mary O’Sullivan in July of the same year, with a delegation from Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA. In July 2010 Marrickville Council decided to join the global boycott of Israel over its occupation of the Palestinian territories. In October 2010, Father John Pearce, Catholic Priest from Marrickville, and president of Marrickville Multifaith Roundtable visited Bethlehem. In December 2011, funds were raised by Marrickville for the renovation of a children’s playground in Bethlehem and in 2012 for the decoration of streets and buildings for Christmas. In 2016, the then mayor of Bethlehem, Mrs. Vera Baboun, visited Marrickville.