Jeff Halper

Jeff Halper earned his Ph.D. in Cultural and Applied Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, establishing a distinguished academic career that included adjunct lecturer positions in anthropology at the University of Haifa and Ben Gurion University. He served as Director of Friends World College’s Middle East Center in Jerusalem before becoming Director of International Academic Operations for Long Island University in 1991, where he achieved the rank of associate professor. Halper’s early advocacy included over a decade as a community volunteer for the Jerusalem municipality, focusing on Mizrahi Jewish neighborhoods after relocating to Israel in 1973.

He also conducted research among Ethiopian Jews in the 1960s and subsequently served as Chairman of the Israeli Committee for Ethiopian Jews. In 1997, Halper co-founded the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), a non-violent Israeli peace and human rights organization dedicated to resisting the demolition of Palestinian homes in the Occupied Territories. As Coordinator of ICAHD, he has been a prominent figure in direct action, physically resisting home demolitions. Under his leadership, ICAHD has successfully rebuilt 189 Palestinian homes and campaigns internationally on issues related to the occupation.

He further expanded his organizational impact by co-founding The People Yes! Network in 2013, fostering international collaboration for social justice. In 2017, he co-founded The One Democratic State Campaign (ODSC), advocating for a single democratic state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. His most recent literary contribution, ‘Decolonizing Israel, Liberating Palestine: Zionism, Settler Colonialism, and the Case for One Democratic State,’ was published in 2021, reaffirming his role as a leading voice in human rights and peace advocacy.

Through his extensive academic work, organizational leadership, and impactful publications, Jeff Halper remains a pivotal figure in advancing understanding and non-violent solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, continually influencing international discourse on human rights and social justice.