Ep. 38: Legal Analysis & Debate: Human Rights Situation in the Westbank (Michael Sfard – Human Rights Lawyer, Tel Aviv)

Guest: Michael Sfard – Human Rights Lawyer, Tel Aviv Hosts: Mert & Yusuf Bio: Michael Sfard is Israel's leading human rights lawyer, known for representing activists, major human rights and peace organizations before Israel’s Supreme Court and in international forums. His practice focuses on strategic litigation against occupation, racism, and discrimination. A graduate of the Hebrew University and University College London, he has received the Emil Grinzweig Human Rights Award and authored The Wall and the Gate: Israel, Palestine, and the Legal Battle for Human Rights (2018). He serves as a commissioner with the International Commission of Jurists. He is the grandson of the sociologist and Holocaust survivor Zygmunt Bauman, and the son of parents who were expelled from Poland in 1968 for their participation in student protests, a background that connects him to a family tradition of critical thinking and engagement with justice. In this episode: Mert, and Yusuf speak with Michael Sfard about the power and limits of law in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Sfard shares why he became a human rights lawyer, and how international law has shaped – and struggled with – questions of justice, occupation, and rights. The conversation traces the evolution of international law and Israel’s legal system, examines what law says about military occupation and Gaza’s contested status, and unpacks recent rulings and warrants from the ICJ and ICC. He offers insights into the daily life in the West Bank, reflecting on how realities have shifted since October 7. Finally, he asks whether law can still serve justice in an uneven world – and what message he would give to a new generation of justice-seekers. This episode was recorded June 10, 2025. Links: Michael Sfard: https://www.sfard.co.il/en ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territories (17 July 2024): https://tinyurl.com/54nf99ru ICERD Artikel 3: https://tinyurl.com/muw46yvf Disclaimer: Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team. Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.