Transitional Justice in Israel-Palestine after the Gaza War: Challenges and Opportunities for Peacebuilding
Dr. Sigall Horovitz
October 29, 2025 at 10:15-11:45
Hybrid event – Room 1013, Hamadrega building, University of Haifa and Via Zoom*
Abstract
The recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire opens a critical window to consider transitional justice (TJ) as both a framework for accountability and a pathway toward sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians. This lecture will examine the potential roles and limitations of TJ in addressing the legacies of violence and structural injustice on both intra- and inter-societal levels. It will assess the feasibility of various TJ mechanisms—including truth commissions, reparations, criminal accountability, institutional reform, and local reconciliation efforts—within the Israel-Palestine context. The discussion will engage with ongoing debates on the role of international law, the International Criminal Court, and local civil society initiatives in promoting restorative forms of justice that could contribute to postwar recovery and future coexistence.
Dr. Sigall Horovitz is the transitional justice advisor of the Hebrew University’s Clinical Legal Education Center. Her interests are transitional justice, international criminal law, ethics and anti-corruption. Dr. Horovitz held various legal positions at the United Nations, including at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Dr. Horovitz was also involved in teaching and academic research in Israel and Germany. She initiated transitional justice programs at the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University, and led experiential study trips to Rwanda and South Africa. Dr. Horovitz completed her master’s degree with honors at Columbia University (2003) and received her doctorate in law from the Hebrew University (2014). Dr. Horovitz received the Arthur Helton Fellowship of the American Society of International Law, the Rabin Scholarship of the Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, the Vodoz Prize of the Institute of Contemporary Jewry, and an award for distinguished academic work from the Israeli Law and Society Association. She is a member of the New York and Israeli Bar Associations, and a founding member of the Association for the Promotion of International Humanitarian Law (ALMA).