In this episode of FMEP’s Occupied Thoughts podcast, FMEP fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Sawsan Zaher, an independent Palestinian human rights lawyer based in Haifa [full bio below]. Their conversation includes:

• The background of Israel’s recently-passed Death Penalty law
• The way in which the Israeli judiciary supports the regime there
• The role of the Supreme Court, incl whether it may strike down the law, and how the Court has evolved in the past twenty five years

Full Bio

Sawsan Zaher is an independent Palestinian human rights lawyer based in Haifa. She serves as a legal advisor for several Palestinian human rights and feminist organizations, specializing in both Israeli domestic law and International law. Sawsan has extensive experience in constitutional strategic litigation on behalf of Palestinians before Israeli courts; notably, she recently represented the Palestinian Authority in a constitutional petition before the Israeli Supreme Court regarding the freezing of Palestinian tax revenues. She also serves as a co-supervisor at the human rights clinic in Tel Aviv University.

Since October 2023, Sawsan has focused her practice on representing Palestinian citizens in cases of political persecution. She is a frequent public speaker on Israel’s violations of international law, specifically examining how the Israeli genocide of Gaza is supported by the Israeli constitutional and legal regime.

Previously, Sawsan served as the Deputy General Director and Senior Lawyer at Adalah, where she practiced for 16 years. Her work has earned her prestigious global recognition, including fellowships as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, a Yale World Fellow, and a Public Interest Law Fellow at Columbia University.