Israel's democracy in the shadow of the Occupation
A Conversation with Prof. David Kretzmer, founding member of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel

Friday, June 17th
8-9:30am
NIF offices, 330 Seventh Ave. (at 29th St.), 11th floor
Cost: $5 will cover breakfast

Please RSVP by Wednesday, June 15th

The 1967 Six Day War marks the beginning of Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank, a 44-year occupation that continues to this day.  Against the backdrop of recent pronouncements focusing on the 1967 borders, Professor David Kretzmer will speak about the effects of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the closure of Gaza on the democratic fabric of Israeli society.  Prof. Kretzmer will specifically address the rule of law and the role of the international community in ending these policies.  The talk will be followed by Q & A with the audience.

About Prof. David Kretzmer
David Kretzmer, LL.B, LL.M (Jerusalem), Dr. Jur. (York University, Canada), is the former Bruce W. Wayne Chair of International Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has been a visiting professor in prestigious legal institutions around the world. Prof. Kretzmer was the founding director of the Centre for Human Rights at the Hebrew University and from 1997-2002 served as Director of the Minerva Centre for Human Rights of the Hebrew and Tel Aviv Universities. Prof. Kretzmer was  member of the UN Human Rights Committee from 1995-2002, and vice-chairperson in 2001 and 2002.

During a long academic career Prof. Kretzmer has taught torts, contract, constitutional law, administrative law, international human rights and international humanitarian law. Besides his academic work, he has been active in NGO activities. He was a founding member of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and is a member of the executive board of B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.