Palestine - Important - Noura Erakat - February 23, 2024



Noura Erakat is a human rights attorney and an Associate Professor at Rutgers University, New Brunswick in the Department of Africana Studies and the Program in Criminal Justice. Her research interests include human rights law, humanitarian law, national security law, refugee law, social justice, and critical race theory.  Noura is a Co-Founding Editor of Jadaliyya, an electronic magazine on the Middle East that combines scholarly expertise and local knowledge. 



http://www.nouraerakat.com/bio.html

It may be difficult for someone not familiar with Erakat to understand, but the words above from her website barely capture the “surface” of how incredible she is!



Dr. Ussama Makdisi, a University of California- Berkeley history professor, interviewed Professor Erakat most ably, and current Cal Law Students produced a wonderful event for a sadly not large audience today.

You can easily see for yourself – how I and many others were most appreciative today at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPYoYGgi2bg .

Erakat spoke of her law school days talking of how she wasn’t a good law student.   Her views of what a lawyer should be was to grow not at all in the mainstream working for “a firm” (my words).   She’s learned from some incredible mentors such as:  Professor Richard Nuxbaum

https://news.berkeley.edu/2019/02/14/buxbaum-still-going-strong-after-seeing-berkeley-throughyears-of-turmoil  now 93 years old who shared a lot with me after this incredible event,



and (Professor) Ian-Haney Lopez - https://ianhaneylopez.com/biography - who unfortunately I missed today.


Noura believes strongly in so many areas that interest me a lot!   She is a passionate leader seeking social justice.   She is a Feminist who understands deeply how Palestinian and Muslim men in general are often pathologized because they don’t simply defer to settler-colonialism, racism, and other oppressions that they frequently face in their daily lives.

Some phrases Erafat spoke vividly and clearly mesmerized many of us include: “genocide is about preventing a future”,  (re: feminism) “life affirming practices vs. genocide”,  “Palestinians must die so Jews can live” (a popular false narrative), how – absurd:  “calling for a ceasefire makes you Anti-Semitic”, “Israel is not denying the facts”, “Palestinians as racialized people are expected to die”, “what do you stand to lose if you do nothing”, “so disgusted with journalism” (sharing how journalists take propaganda as being – The Truth, parroting dominant narratives), “How many students have spoken out? (vs) “How many tenured faculty members have not spoken out?”


The Proud Father – photographing – the (in my mind) most Key (Law Student) Planner

Noura Erakat spoke most clearly of how strategic actions are vitally important.   She noted that undocumented residents are in a very different position than many privileged people, for example – and what they can and should do is often quite different.  She noted that New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and The United States all continue to not seriously acknowledge their settler colonialist visions and actions.   She noted how Egypt’s leadership  historically, as well as through the present fixates on things like “getting back” The Sinai, as well as avoiding major conflict with Israel, rather than supporting The Palestinian People.

Erakat spoke of how important The Black Panthers and SNCC were in pushing for systemic change – radical change, while The Urban League and The NAACP sought to bring Black People into the mainstream of American life.



A Deep(ly) – Thoughtful Listener – who also thinks Clearly – Rapidly figuring out How to Clearly Explain so much – to so many of us

Noura Erakat spoke clearly to the law students (we were in the Law School Auditorium and law students seeking Palestinian justice sponsored the event), as well as the rest of us.   She spoke of how “legalistic” approaches were often doomed to failure, while also bringing steps forward such as not stopping the ongoing genocide – while hearing the international judges acknowledge that genocide is much of the practice (however the courts tend to “lack jurisdiction”).   She believes that The World Court will Not – order Israel to withdraw – from The West Bank and Gaza – that such court actions will not occur in a world where The U.S. and Israeli Governments can readily propagandize and avoid any accountability.



Noura Erakat was incredibly kind to me – “a nobody” – while we were outside and leaving.

-

There were smiles and humor – along with deep, deep seriousness  - trying to not be too much immersed in her grief and despair.   She was affirming – wonderful – caring – loving.

She reminded me – indirectly of another Hero of mine!


My “fellow George” is amazing – but Rashida Tlaib – is Unbelievable!

The Oldest of 14 - Incredible Woman - Deep Heart
A Politician Under Constant Attack

My copy of her noted book will be purchased by me when Marcus Books - https://www.marcusbooks.com/ - gets More copies of it – the owner will call me.  I’m privileged.

Watch – the video – of this incredible interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPYoYGgi2bg

I hope that I – as a Jew – can be an ally – and that I don’t take too much of your space!   You have much, much more – to share!

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

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