Sari Bashi

Sari Bashi (J.D. 2003) is the Robina Visiting Human Rights Fellow and the Israel/Palestine Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch. In 2005, Sari spent her Bernstein Fellowship in Israel establishing Gisha-Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, the leading Israeli human rights group offering legal assistance to Palestinians who face restrictions on their freedom to travel into and out of the Gaza Strip. Sari served as Gisha's director for nine years, growing it to a staff of 22 and helping thousands of people overcome travel restrictions to access jobs, schools, medical services, and family unity. For her work with Gisha, Sari received a social innovation fellowship from the Echoing Green Foundation and the Emil Grunzweig Human Rights Award from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. Prior to studying law, Sari worked as a correspondent for the Associated Press in Jerusalem and conducted research on ethnic identity among Ethiopian immigrants to Israel as part of a Fulbright Scholarship. She has taught international law at Tel Aviv University and writes and lectures on international humanitarian law and Israeli policy toward the occupied Palestinian territories, especially Gaza. Sari clerked on the Israeli Supreme Court for Justice Edmond Levi and is a licensed attorney in Israel and New York. Sari received her B.A. (summa cum laude) from Yale University.