Palestine Legal is committed to a movement lawyering approach and we strive to put into practice the following values:
Challenging systems of oppression everywhere: We aim to oppose both large scale systems of oppression through our work, as well as their manifestations in our individual and organizational culture.
Using the law for the people and for movements: We understand the law as a tool to maintain an unjust status quo that puts property before people and is often at odds with our values and those of broader social justice movements. We understand that free speech, civil rights, human rights and other legal frameworks are imperfect tools for representing and protecting marginalized voices and movements from systemic oppression. We therefore aim to use the law for the people, and to build the power of the movement.
Being leaderful: Many leaders are better than one, and achieving freedom requires leader-full movements led by those most impacted.
Accountability & honesty: We take ownership of our individual and organizational responsibilities to each other and to the movement, and aim to operate with utmost integrity in our relationships.
Collaboration: Many minds, experiences and skills are better than one. We work together and with clients and partners to do our best work, build skills, grow coalitions, and grow our movements.
Professionalism & excellence: We take seriously the work of representing people and our organization, and supporting the movement, and we do the work with utmost care and with highest standards.
Caring for each other: Our people are the most valuable resource we have. To keep the movement going, keep ourselves going, prevent burn out and do our best work, we need to take care of our minds, bodies, families and communities so that we can show up as fully as possible.
Self-reflection: We evaluate and reassess our work regularly and honestly, internally, with partners, and other stakeholders. We also recognize our position as a non-profit organization supporting a movement and we work to forefront movement priorities and growth and minimize organizational ego.
Our staff, clients, and the movements we serve all seek freedom from oppression and the freedom to live and thrive, from the U.S. to Palestine and beyond. We recognize that capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy drive different forms of bigotry and violence including ableism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, LGBTQ discrimination, racism, and sexism. We recognize that challenging and dismantling these systems of oppression requires centering those most impacted, grassroots organizing, and collective struggle.
We understand the Palestinian struggle to be one opposing racism, colonialism, and imperialism. As an organization based in the U.S., we acknowledge that the U.S. is rooted in systems of racist, colonial, and imperial violence that continue to harm Black and Indigenous people, and people of color around the world – including Palestinians.
Collective liberation requires collective action, as well as collective care. Understanding the interconnectedness of struggles – that “none of us is free until all of us are free” – we view the work of Black and Indigenous people fighting for their own liberation on this occupied territory as a primary struggle that requires our attention and energy as we work towards Palestinian liberation.
As an organization, we are committed to investing in Black, Indigenous and collective liberation. We are also committed to striving towards policies and practices that prioritize care for each other as we do this work.