At dawn this morning the last Israeli soldier was withdrawn from the Gaza Strip, the CBC reports. The ceasefire comes after a three-week long offensive by Israeli troops against Hamas militants, with the purpose of halting rocket attacks and weapons smuggling. The resurgence of violence in the region has again sparked protests and provoked debate across Canada and the U.S. – but this time a particular story caught Precedent’s eye.
Last week, Chicago law firm Brodsky & Odeh received the news that a client’s entire family was killed in an airstrike in Gaza. The tragic news hit home in a powerful way – Reem Odeh, a first-generation Palestinian-American, and Joel Brodsky, a second-generation Jewish-American, stand on opposing sides of the Middle East crisis. Odeh is an outspoken leader in the Palestinian-American community who frequently marches in protests, and Brodsky firmly supports Israel, having belonged to pro-Israel groups in the past. Despite their clashing political views, they operate a successful criminal and immigration law practice. They claim they owe it to their shared belief in equality and inalienable rights for all, and, of course, a staunch mutual understanding of the First Amendment.