Noura Erakat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Noura Erakat
Erakat in 2014
Born	Noura Saleh Erakat (1980-01-16) January 16, 1980 (age 45) Alameda County, California, U.S.
Occupation	Activist, attorney
Education	University of California, Berkeley (BA, JD) Georgetown University (LLM)
Relatives	Yousef Erakat (brother) Saeb Erakat (uncle) Ahmad Erekat (cousin)

Noura Saleh Erakat (born January 16, 1980) is a Palestinian-American activist, university professor, and human rights lawyer. She teaches at Rutgers University, focusing on international studies.

Noura is also a co-founder of an online magazine called Jadaliyya. Her main work involves international law, human rights, and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. She often shares her views on Palestinian legal and political topics. Erakat has written many articles and a well-known book, Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine.

Noura Erakat's Education and Career

Her Schooling

Noura Saleh Erakat was born in Alameda County, California. She went to the University of California, Berkeley, and earned her first degree in 2002. She was a top student and received a special fellowship in 2003.

In 2005, she earned her law degree from the UC Berkeley School of Law. Later, she continued her studies at Georgetown University Law Center and Temple University Beasley School of Law, earning advanced law degrees.

Early Work in Law

After law school, Noura worked as an organizer and legal helper for a group called the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. From 2007 to 2009, she was a legal advisor for a committee in the United States House of Representatives.

She also worked for the Badil Resource Center, helping with issues for Palestinian refugees. She wrote reports for the United Nations and talked with U.S. and UN officials about these important topics.

Teaching and Academic Roles

Noura Erakat has taught at several universities in the U.S. These include George Mason University and Georgetown University. She is now a professor at Rutgers University–New Brunswick.

At Rutgers, she teaches about humanitarian law, human rights law, and Palestinian studies. She has also been a visiting professor at places like Harvard Divinity School and Brown University.

In 2010, she helped start Jadaliyya, an online magazine published in English, Arabic, and French. This magazine is connected to the Arab Studies Institute. She is also on the board of the Institute for Policy Studies and advises a group called Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network.

Noura Erakat often appears on TV news channels like CNN and BBC. She also writes opinion pieces for major newspapers such as The Washington Post and The New York Times. She provides legal and political comments on events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. In May 2025, she spoke at the United Nations about the 77th Commemoration of the Nakba.

Activism and Advocacy

Noura Erakat is a strong supporter of Palestinian rights. She has often spoken about her concerns regarding Israeli government policies, especially during the Gaza war (2023–ongoing). Her public statements and social media posts have received both support and criticism.

In May 2023, a Canadian politician, Sarah Jama, shared a tweet written by Noura Erakat. This tweet, which praised a Palestinian activist named Khader Adnan, caused some discussion. Adnan had died after a hunger strike while protesting being held without charge.

After the events of October 7 and the conflict in Gaza, Erakat shared more of her views in articles, interviews, and on social media.

• On X, she wrote that Israel's issues are about Palestine, not just Hamas or Gaza. She believes that even if Hamas were gone, certain Israeli policies would continue.
• In an interview on Democracy Now! in October 2023, Erakat described Israel's actions in Gaza as a "genocidal campaign." She also said that some Western leaders were using unfair ideas when talking about the conflict.
• She wrote for the Boston Review that demands for Palestinians to condemn Hamas were used to stop criticism of Israel. She saw the conflict as a result of long-standing issues.
• On Instagram, she called Israel's response in Gaza "a campaign of revenge through genocidal violence."
• In February 2024, she expressed sadness over a young person who died in Gaza, calling them a "hero" despite the "intense genocidal project."
• In March 2024, Erakat took part in an online discussion with a member of Hamas. This event was criticized by some Jewish organizations who felt her participation gave importance to a group considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and EU.
• In April 2024, Erakat questioned reports about Israeli casualties, tweeting about the number of Hamas fighters Israel claimed to have killed versus the names released.

Erakat has been criticized for not directly condemning Hamas, while focusing on Israel's responsibility. In an investigation by a U.S. House Committee, she was mentioned for her views on Israel and for engaging with people accused of terrorism. The committee also said she justified the kidnapping of civilians as a "military tactic" and accused President Biden of supporting "Israel's genocidal warfare."

Awards and Recognition

Noura Erakat has received many awards for her work and writing.

Her book, Justice for Some, was highly praised and was a finalist for the Palestine Book Awards in 2019.

In 2021, she received the Law for the People Award from the National Lawyers Guild. This award recognized her work in promoting international human rights and justice for Palestinians.

In 2022, Erakat was named a Freedom Scholar by the Marguerite Casey Foundation and the Group Health Foundation. This honor celebrates scholars who work for social, economic, and educational justice.

In March 2025, she received the Amnesty International Chair Award from the University of Ghent in Belgium.

Personal Life

Noura Erakat is the sister of Yousef Erakat, who is famous on YouTube as FouseyTube. She is also the cousin of Ahmed Erakat, a Palestinian man who was killed by Israeli police in June 2020. Noura has said she believes his actions were not intentional.

Publications

Noura Erakat has written two books and many articles for different publications.

Books

• Aborted State? The UN Initiative and New Palestinian Junctures. Co-edited with Mouin Rabbani, 2013.
• Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2019.

Academic Articles

• "Palestinian Refugees and the Syrian Uprising: Filling the Protection Gap During Secondary Forced Displacement]." Oxford Journal of International Refugee Law.
• "New Imminence in the Time of Obama: The Impact of Targeted Killings on the Law of Self Defense]." Arizona Law Review.
• "The US v. The Red Cross: Customary International Humanitarian Law & Universal Jurisdiction]." Denver Journal of International Law and Policy.
• "It's Not Wrong, It's Illegal: Situating the Gaza Blockade Between International Law and the UN Response]." UCLA Journal of Islamic and Near Eastern Law, 2011–2012.
• "Operation Cast Lead: The Elusive Quest for Self-Defense in International Law]." Rutgers Law Record, 2009.
• "Litigating the Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Politicization of U.S. Federal Courtrooms]." Berkeley Journal of Middle Eastern & Islamic Law, 2009.

Newspaper and Magazine Articles

• "U.S. Should Stop Funding Israel, or Let Others Broker Peace." New York Times, August 5, 2014.
• "Israeli operation not about security: Opposing view." USA Today, July 31, 2014.
• "Five Israeli Talking Points on Gaza—Debunked." The Nation, July 25, 2014.
• "Structural Violence on Trial: BDS and the Movement to Resist Erasure." Los Angeles Review of Books, March 16, 2014.

Interviews

Radio Interviews

• Israel's greatest threats are internal, not Hamas or Iran, says former prime minister Ehud Barak CBC, June 5, 2018
• To The Point: "A New Shot at Peace Talks: Will it be Different this Time?" KCRW, July 31, 2013.
• Beyond Beijing: "Palestine seeking statehood bid in UN." China Radio International, November 21, 2012.

Video Interviews

• "Gaza in context.", gazaincontext.com, July 2016.
• "Debating the tactics and ethics of warfare on both sides of Mideast conflict." PBS NewsHour, July 24, 2014.
• "Gaza Debate: As Palestinian Deaths Top 100, Who's to Blame for Escalating Violence? What Can Be Done?." Democracy Now!, July 11, 2014.
• Up With Chris Hayes: "Obama wraps up first trip to Israel as president." MSNBC, March 22, 2013.
• Up With Chris Hayes: "What sparked escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza." MSNBC, November 17, 2012.
• "The Law in These Parts: A Discussion." WNET (PBS Thirteen)

See also

• Rula Hassanein