West Bank

ILF-West Bank provides free criminal defense services to indigent accused persons in the West Bank. The ILF opened the first independent public defender office in Ramallah in 2010 at the request of the European Police Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support (EUPOL COPPS), the European Commission’s rule of law project in the West Bank. ILF-West Bank plans to expand into Jenin and Hebron in coming months. To date, ILF-West Bank has represented more than 150 clients, the majority of whom came to the ILF through the juvenile court system.

Nael Ghannam

Legal Coordinator

Nael Ghannam, a staff lawyer with ILF-West Bank, has specialized in criminal defense for the past five years. Before joining ILF-West Bank, Ghannam worked as a partner in a private law firm in Ramallah and joined ILF-West Bank to pursue his passion for criminal defense work. Ghannam earned a law degree from the Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, in 2004.

Suad Jawan

Trainee Lawyer

Suad Jawan is a trainee lawyer who previously worked at the Ministry of Finance in the land registration department. She is a native of Ramallah and graduated from Birzeit University, West Bank, in 2009 with a degree in law.

Maryam Jaradat

Trainee Lawyer

Maryam Jaradat graduated first in her class from Arab American University in 2011. She had the distinctive honor of attending the third training session for trainee lawyers hosted annually by the Al-Haq Foundation. Prior to joining the ILF West Bank she worked at a non-governmental organization as well as at a private law firm.

Nour Bustami

Staff Lawyer

Nour Bustami, a staff lawyer with ILF-West Bank, previously worked for the Hussam Attereh Group a law firm with offices in Nablus and Ramallah. She has also been a lecturer on Empowerment of Women at the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution. She graduated with a B.A. in law from Al-Najah National University located in Nablus, where she was born and raised.

Ghadanfar Kamanji

Staff Lawyer

Ghadanfar Kamanji, a staff lawyer with ILF-West Bank, previously worked as a legal consultant to the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and assisted the Law Faculty at Birzeit University in publishing legal books. Kamanji graduated with a B.A. in law from the Arab American University in Jenin and has taken additional course work on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

Rami Shuaib

Office Manager

Rami Shuaib, the office manager, came to ILF-West Bank from the United States, where he began his career with Ahmed Shaik, a CPA based in New York. Shuaib graduated from Keller Graduate School of Management in New York with a master’s degree in public administration specializing in accounting and finance. He was born in Jerusalem and was raised in Ramallah and Dubai.

Aseel Ibrahim

Interpreter

Aseel Ibrahim, earned a BA degree in English Language and Literature at Birzeit University, West Bank, in 2008. Aseel passed the Legal Translation Test and was certified by the Ministry of Justice in 2011. Before joining ILF-West Bank, Aseel worked at Al-Ayyam Printing, Press, Publication & Distribution Company as an administrative assistant.