Justice Without Borders is one of a series of articles in the Los Angeles Times about Palestinians and Israelis who defy divisions.

Today's article is about the emergence of a group of Israeli attorneys specializing in human rights. Many of their clients are Palestinians, and they rarely win in court.

"For three decades, Leah Tzemel, an Israeli Jew, has been representing Palestinians in Israeli courts. The people she defends have ranged from terror suspects to refugees to the hapless and sometimes unwitting families of murdering militants."

"Her work and her extreme-left politics make Tzemel one of the most despised women in Israel. She has been accused of treason, physically attacked, and called a "Palestinian-loving whore."

"Despite it all, she continues to fight what is essentially a losing battle, and, in her view, defends the fundamental rights of even those her nation considers the enemy. Tzemel, 57, was the pioneer. Today, an entire cadre of Israeli attorneys has emerged to specialize in human rights and represent Palestinians. Human rights work has gained a modicum of prestige and respect, they say."

"I used to be the 'lawyer of Satan.' Now I'm a 'human rights defender,' " Tzemel said. She didn't change, she says, Israel did....

"Despite their strong beliefs, Tzemel, Sfard and other like-minded attorneys sometimes wonder whether they are doing more harm than good. Are they accomplices of a system that grants the appearance of justice without truly making it available? Are they allowing Israeli society to pay lip service to respect for human rights?"

"I love this place, and I still feel I make a difference, a very small one," Tzemel said. But at some point, she said, the mere act of going to court will be misleading and futile, and create a false sense of fair play. At that point, I will not do this anymore," she said.

There's lots more to the story, and it's quite interesting. (Note, the LA Times requires free registration).