In the fight against the Israeli occupation and its apartheid state, Palestinian women have been viciously changing the conversation and altering the Israeli propaganda through different activism means. Noura Erakat, a Palestinian human rights attorney with an interest in humanitarian, refugee, and national security law, is a frequent commentator about Palestinian history on social media and international news channels.
Erakat is an advocate for Palestinian liberation and her multiple positions on institution boards serves her activism journey. She is currently serving on the board of the Institute for Policy Studies, the board of Arab Studies Institute, and serving the Editorial Committee of the Journal for Palestine Studies.
With the recent attack on Gaza, Erakat was vocal about the Palestinian cause and the call for liberation on her social media platforms, specifically on Twitter.
“If a single Jewish-Israeli child were pulled out from beneath a pile of rubble of what used to be her home & obliterated the rest of her family, not a single Western gov’t would not condemn it or try to blame “both sides”. Racism & colonialism explain this. They expect us to die,” Erakat tweeted during the recent attack on Gaza.
In addition to her social media activism, Erakat was part of a fellowship called ‘New Voices’ where she helped with the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaigns nationally and was a legal advocate to end the Israeli occupation. She has appeared on multiple international news channels and shows such as CBS News, CNN with Becky Anderson and Don Lemon, Fox, Democracy Now, Al-Jazeera, etc.
Erakat also serves the Palestinian cause through her work. As an Assistant Professor at George Mason University, Erakat has taught international studies and human rights law. She has also co-founded Jadaliyya, an online magazine specialized in the Middle East. Through her articles and opinion pieces, Erakat contributes to raising awareness about Palestinian rights.
However, Erakat’s journey has not been easy sailing. Her family has been a victim of the violence of the Israeli forces. On June 12, 2020, Erakat’s cousin, Ahmad Erakat, was shot dead at an Israeli checkpoint separating Abu Dis and Bethlehem on his sister’s wedding day. According to multiple news reports, he was shot 6 times and left on the street with no aid to his wounds or an autopsy conducted afterwards.
“What we see happen to Ahmad has been a pattern and practice that the U.N. has documented and said that Israel shoots as a matter of precautionary measure,” Erakat told Now Democracy in an interview.
“Sometimes these checkpoints are built around places where there are no settlements, but there will be. All of the Palestinian territory is marked for Israeli settlements and is marked for the removal of Palestinians,” she added.
Despite the struggles, Erakat is appreciated in the Palestinian and feminist Palestinian communities. 22-year-old Social Worker and Activist Jasmin Abu-Hummons is a supporter of Erakat’s work.
“I feel that in the groups I’ve worked with, women have always been at the forefront,” Abu Hummons told Kayani. “I see us organizing protests, dinners, teach-ins, dabkeh classes, tatreez, and much more.”
Abu Hummons commented on Erakat’s role in being a role model for many Palestinian women.
“She’s using her platform as a lawyer to call out violations of the law and being unapologetically Palestinian while doing so,” Abu Hummons said. “I truly wish more feminists and women realize that Palestine is a feminist issue too.”