Episode 20: Law, lawyering, and writing Palestine, with Noura Erakat

November 14, 2019

Speakers 

Diala Shamas, Noura Erakat

On Episode 20 of “The Activist Files,” Center for Constitutional Rights Staff Attorney Diala Shamas talks with Noura Erakat, author of the new book Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine. Through the lens of 100 years of struggle for Palestinian freedom, Diala and Noura discuss the relationship between law and politics, and the challenge of using the law to achieve justice. Linking Palestine’s struggle with other struggles, including the struggle for Black freedom, Noura discusses the tension that arises in trying to use existing legal tools to create a completely new reality, cautions against wielding law without a political movement, and touches on the legal push-back that has come with increased advocacy for Palestine. Diala’s and Noura’s conversation is about “unlearning” of legal frameworks, and “re-stitching” a new understanding, and is an important look at limits of law in social change. 

Podcast Transcript PDF