Israel, Palestine, and the Legal Battle for Human Rights

One of Israel’s preeminent human rights litigators, Michael Sfard has worked for decades to hold Israel accountable for crimes arising from its occupation of Palestinian territory.

In his powerful and riveting book The Wall and the Gate: Israel, Palestine, and the Legal Battle for Human Rights, Sfard revisits the landmark cases he and others have fought on behalf of Palestinian farmers, homeowners, students, and activists and confronts the dilemma facing human rights defenders who challenge abuses using the abusing country’s own legal institutions: has a generation of legal action against the occupation actually served to bolster its legitimacy?

At a recent event celebrating the book’s launch, Sfard was joined in conversation by Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.

Watch the video above, or listen to audio below.