Leah Tsemel, or Lea Tsemel (; born 19 June 1945) is an Israeli lawyer known for her work in support of Palestinian rights.Ciotti, Paul (April 27, 1988). "Israeli roots, Palestinian clients: Taking the Arab cause to court has earned Jewish lawyer Lea Tsemel the wrath of her countrymen" Los Angeles Times Retrieved on February 2, 2014.American Friends Service Committee (March 30, 2010). Leah Tsemel Retrieved on February 2, 2014. She defines her career as one involving “everything [that occurs] between the Palestinians and the authorities". Her five decades of representing Palestinian defendants in the Israeli court system is the subject of the documentary film Advocate, which came out in 2019, and won the 2021 Emmy for Best Documentary.
Biography
Tsemel was born in Haifa, Mandatory Palestine in 1945. Her parents, who made aliyah in the 1930s, came from Belarus and Poland, and her father was an engineer.Ravit Hecht,'The Israeli Lawyer Who Defends the Most Violent Fighters Against the Occupation ,' Haaretz 25 May 2019 She studied law at Hebrew University in the late 1960s.Hajjar, Lisa (2005). Courting conflict: The Israeli military court system in the West Bank and Gaza, pp. 168-69. University of California Press, Berkeley. She is married to anti-Zionist activist Michel Warschawski, and they have two children, Nissan and Talila and seven grandchildren.Salokar, Rebecca Mae and Volcansek, Mary L. (1996). Women in law: A bio-bibliographical sourcebook, pp. 313-20. Greenwood Press, Westport.
Legal work
In 1971, Tsemel became an apprentice to human rights lawyer Felicia Langer.
Tsemel represented activist Ezra Nawi.Haaretz (22 December 2005). A humble house in the hills Haaretz Retrieved on February 2, 2014. An Israeli settler claimed Nawi hindered the settler from filming Nawi's assistance of Palestinians, and Nawi was convicted and fined. On appeal, Tsemel successfully argued that the area the Palestinians were farming did not belong to the settler. Nawi's conviction was overturned.
Tsemel represented student Salah Hamouri after he was indicted on two counts: for planning to assassinate rabbi Ovadia Yosef and for being a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.Ben-Ami, Nina (December 23, 2008). Affaire Salah Hamouri: la réponse de l'ambassade d'Israël, Le Nouvel Observateur. Retrieved on February 2, 2014. She advised Hamouri to plead guilty to the latter in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Tsemel is "nondiscriminating about her clientele...whoever they might be and whatever charges they might face" and is known for defending suicide bombers.Berg, Raffi (July 24, 2003). The Israeli who defends suicide bombers BBC News Online Retrieved on February 2, 2014.
Activism
Tsemel criticized Camp 1391, an Israel Defense Forces prison camp for high-risk prisoners in northern Israel,BBC News (December 2, 2003). Israel court lifts prison secrecy BBC News Retrieved on February 2, 2014 stating, "anyone entering the prison can be made to disappear, potentially forever, it's no different from the jails run by tinpot South American dictators."Cook, Jonathan. Facility 1391: Israel's Guantanamo, Le Monde diplomatique (November 2003) Tsemel was a participant in the Russell Tribunal on Palestine.Russell Tribunal on Palestine (November 2011). Lea Tsemel Retrieved on February 2, 2014.
She was a candidate for the Joint List in the 2015 general election.
Tsemel’s career as an Israeli human-rights lawyer defending Palestinians is the subject of the 2019 documentary, Advocate, directed by Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaïche.
Awards
Tsemel, together with Palestinian lawyer Raji Sourani, received the 1996 "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" award,Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'homme, Prix des droits de l'homme Retrieved on February 2, 2014. the highest human rights award granted by the government of France.Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (December 7, 1996). Palestinian centre for human rights wins France’s highest award for human rights endeavours. Retrieved on February 2, 2014. Tsemel, together with Palestinian advocate Mohammad Na'amneh, received the 2004 Hans Litten prize from the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights.European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (February 5, 2005). European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights awards HANS-LITTEN-PRICE to Lea Tsemel and Mohammad Na'amneh Retrieved on February 2, 2014.
References
External links
“Advocate”: Israeli Attorney Lea Tsemel Reflects on Defending Palestinians Who Resist Occupation, Democracy Now, June 14, 2019