President
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner
Israeli activist attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner has been at the forefront of defending Israel’s interests on the global legal stage. As a leader of Shurat HaDin–Israel Law Center, a Tel Aviv-based civil rights organization, she has spearheaded efforts to counteract campaigns that seek to delegitimize Israel and disrupt its security. Her innovative approach involves using legal avenues to challenge hostile activities targeting the Jewish state, including offensive litigation and direct confrontation of those who advocate for the BDS movement.
In her capacity as a legal advocate, Ms. Darshan-Leitner has led numerous campaigns against entities and individuals engaging in actions that harm Israel. Her efforts include seeking accountability from governments, financial institutions, and organizations that support hostile actions against Israel. In one notable case, she won a significant victory against Airbnb for removing listings of Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria.
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In addition to her legal work, Ms. Darshan-Leitner has actively fought the misuse of social media platforms by extremist groups inciting violence and promoting hatred online. Her initiatives have focused on reducing the online presence of such groups on major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Ms. Darshan-Leitner is also the co-author of HARPOON (Hachette Publishers), a bestselling book that chronicles the collaboration between many governmental agencies and campaigners and Israel’s Mossad in their efforts to weaken hostile groups financially. She has been recognized for her contributions to global legal activism, named one of the 50 most influential Jews by the Jerusalem Post in both 2016 and 2018, and was included in The Marker’s list of the 50 most influential Israeli women. A mother of six, including triplets, she holds a law degree from Bar-Ilan University and an MBA from Manchester University.