Laws are meant to protect people, maintain order, and define what’s fair. But what happens when the law is applied only to some, while denying rights to others?

For Palestinian citizens of Israel, this is a daily reality. Laws meant to safeguard freedom of speech, movement, and expression are often used as tools of control, punishment, and exclusion, rights that exist on paper but are routinely denied in practice.

In this episode, we sit with Hadeel Abu Salih, a human rights lawyer and activist at ⁠Adalah⁠, to examine how Israeli law functions in practice for Palestinians, and how repression has sharply escalated since October 2023. Drawing on hundreds of cases, Hadeel exposes a legal system where speech can be criminalized before it’s even expressed, students and academics are disciplined for political thought, and prolonged detention without trial has become routine. Alongside this, the hosts reflect on some of the fears and reservations they carry about being public in this moment.

We trace the continuity from the policies following May 2021 to the sweeping crackdown after October 7, revealing how emergency measures have solidified into permanent governance. Hadeel also unpacks how apartheid legislation is deepening, not only through arrests and indictments, but through laws that threaten family life, movement, and collective presence.

This episode explores law as lived experience, fear, endurance, and the cost of speaking out, and what it means to keep resisting from inside the courtroom.
Be sure to explore Adalah’s website to read reports, review cases, listen to their podcast, and of course, support their work by donating here.

Disclaimer: This episode was recorded on November 25, 2025. The facts presented in this episode reflect what was known at the time, but new information may have since come to light. Similarly, the opinions expressed by the hosts were shaped by our perspectives at the time of recording and may have evolved as events unfolded. Please note that engagement with our guests does not imply endorsement, and the views expressed by our guests do not necessarily represent our beliefs, either on or off our platform. What has not changed is our commitment to a just and united future.

Credits

• ​Sponsored by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠B8 of Hope⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with the support of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Albi World⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ​Hosts / Executive Producers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amira Mohammed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ibrahim Abu Ahmad⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ​Associate Producer / Supervising Editor / Audio Mix: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Evelyn Uzan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ​Original Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Layan Hawila⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Support her journey as a music therapy student at Berklee
• ​Filming & Editing: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nissan Film Production⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ​Branding: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sophie Cooke⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ​Animation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Santiago Gomez⁠