In this episode, I speak with Ziv Stahl, the Executive Director of Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights organization that documents and challenges violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Ziv holds a Master in political science and is considering herself an activist, Ziv is one of the few public voices in Israel who continue to insist on accountability, equality, and the rule of law at a time when democratic space is shrinking and violence is escalating.

Ziv’s commitment to human rights is shaped by profound personal loss. She grew up in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and survived the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, during which her sister-in-law, was killed. Despite this trauma, she has chosen to continue her work — refusing to abandon the belief that justice must apply universally, even in moments of national grief.

Under Ziv’s leadership, Yesh Din works to expose and challenge systemic impunity for settler and military violence in the West Bank through legal documentation, petitions, and public advocacy. In this conversation, we talk about her personal journey, the limits of legal protection for Palestinians, and what it means to defend human rights in a society where dissent is increasingly unpopular.

We also discuss the role of international accountability, the pressures facing civil society, and the moral clarity required to continue this work despite fear, hostility, and political backlash.

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Guest: Ziv StahlHost: Shai Hoffmann

Special thanks to OFEK: The Israeli Center for Public Affairs, Lea Volz and 365 Sherpas (editorial), Jordi Kuragari (video snippets), Simon Eichinger (post-production) 

Links:

https://www.zeit.de/politik/2024-10/hamas-massaker-israel-ziv-stahl-palaestinenser-rechte 

https://www.blaetter.de/ausgabe/2024/januar/israels-zivilgesellschaft-zerrieben-zwischen-den-extremen https://nifcan.org/ziv-stahl/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l87o1XvLb8 

https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/krieg-in-nahost/deutschland-blockiert-hilfsgelder-fuer-israelische-ngo-19337943.html 

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-10-23/ty-article-static/.premium/erased-isr[…]unities-in-the-west-bank/00000199-4787-d6e0-a7fb-cfcfd0400000 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-10-30/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/israel[…]-on-decline-of-democracy/0000019a-3629-ddf1-a1db-fefd25ee0000