From Bondi Beach to The Hague and UN, Arsen Ostrovsky has become a leading international human rights attorney and indefatigable Israel advocate.
Born in Odessa, Soviet Union, Ostrovsky and his family came to Australia as “refuseniks” in 1987, settling in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Following his public schooling he graduated from Wollongong University. He made aliyah in 2012, and now lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and two young daughters.
Ostrovsky is the CEO of the International Legal Forum (ILF), an Israel-based NGO and global coalition of lawyers, who have been at the forefront of combating antisemitism and standing up for Israel in the international legal arena, which has undertaken a new sense of urgency and purpose after the October 7 massacre.
He is also part of the “legal dream team” assembled by famed attorney and professor, Alan Dershowitz, to combat the ICC arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
Together with partners in the United States, the ILF has also initiated a number of groundbreaking counterterrorism lawsuits in American courts, including connected to UNRWA, Columbia University and a case now before the US Supreme Court over the Palestinian Authority’s ‘pay-for-slay’ policy.
A frequent commentator on TV and some of the world’s leading publications, Ostrovsky is also one of the leading voices in the war of narratives for Israel online, where his posts reach tens of millions of people each month, including over a billion since October 7.
He has been recognised with a number of prestigious awards, including the Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize for “Outstanding Israel Advocacy”. In 2022, he was named by The Algemeiner as one of the Top 100 people in the world positively influencing Jewish life. This past year, the Jerusalem Post called him one of the most influential Zionist leaders, while in January, he was recognised by Israel’s Knesset with the “Voices of Iron” Award, as one of the leading advocates for Israel since October 7.
Describe how your Zionism was forged growing up in Australia.
I was always imbued with a strong sense of history and Jewish identity, though I grew up in a fully secular environment, and not particularly active in the community, apart from chagim gatherings with my family.
For me, the major turning point was the 2002 execution of American Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl. His immortal last words, “My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish,” shook me to the core and have forever been seared into my memory.
At the time, I was towards the end of my undergraduate studies at the University of Wollongong, which was about as apolitical as possible, with my time divided evenly between law classes and the uni bar. But Daniel’s jarring words in essence awoke me to the centrality of my own Jewish identity and Zionism, leading me to become more active in the community, and ultimately, on the path to Israel and aliyah, where I am today.
At what point did you realise you wanted to make aliyah? What was the catalyst?
The final turning point for me was the Mavi Marmara Gaza Flotilla in 2010. I had already been practising as a lawyer in Sydney for a number of years then. Seeing the outpouring of vitriol and hatred at Israel, as well as the ongoing weaponisation of international law, I knew I could no longer stand by, and wanted to put my legal skills to use for a mission with greater sense of purpose and meaning. I subsequently went to Israel for a short “trial run” and as they say, the rest is history. It was an immediate sense of belonging, that this is where I was meant to be.
How was it adjusting to life in Israel at first?
Life in Israel is not easy at the best of times, let alone when you’re in a war every few years, with the first one being just a few months after I made aliyah (Operation Pillar of Defence). Yes, there are many hardships and no shortage of bureaucratic hurdles to jump, but honestly, there is nowhere else I would rather be. This is home. Just as we grieve and fight together, so do we rejoice and celebrate together. To use the timeless words of Ehud Manor, in his song I Have No Other Country, which have resonated even more deeply, in the wake of the October 7 massacre.
What is the most difficult thing about being away from Australia?
I obviously miss my parents, which is especially difficult as we have small children. But I also miss going to the pub with my mates and keeping track with the footy at home.
What made you decide to go into advocacy?
Growing up as a Jew in the former Soviet Union, where antisemitism was rampant and Jewish identity suppressed, deeply shaped my understanding of the importance of having a Jewish homeland. Then as a human rights lawyer, I became acutely aware of the power of advocacy and the need to speak up for Israel on the global stage, especially in the face of the gross double standards, relentless bias and weaponisation of international law against Israel.
That injustice – the way Israel has been constantly vilified and held to a different standard – is what drove me to combine my legal background and passion for human rights to stand up for Israel and the Jewish people.
What are some of the highlights/achievements of your advocacy?
Making the case for Israel on the world’s highest stages, and sometimes most difficult arenas, is a real privilege. I have had the opportunity to address and brief the UN Human Rights Council, the US Congress and British Parliament, as well as many other high-level venues. But without doubt, my most meaningful advocacy has been since October 7, fighting for the release of our hostages and holding accountable in the courts those groups who are aiding and abetting Hamas.
How proud were you to receive the “Voice of Iron” award by the Knesset this year in recognition of your advocacy since October 7?
It was truly a profound honour to be recognised by the Knesset for my efforts in advocating for Israel on the global stage, since October 7. There is no higher duty in fighting for the truth. However, I must admit it did feel somewhat surreal to receive such an award, given our mission is still far from complete and will not be over until every one of the remaining hostages is home and our soldiers are back – they are the real heroes.
Describe what it was like addressing the UN Human Rights Council? What was the reception like?
There is no more hostile arena on the international stage, than the UN Human Rights Council, a cesspool of dictators, tyrants and terrorists, which has become rotten to the core, defined by its unrelenting and pathological Jew-hatred and vilification of Israel.
The first time I addressed the UNHRC, before I was about to take the microphone, it was representatives from countries like Iran, Lebanon, Qatar and North Korea, who spoke just prior. I remember at the time, just before I was to take the podium, my wife messaging me: “I don’t think they like us very much here.” That was certainly an understatement! But I had never been prouder, nor held my head higher.
Invariably, when I come back from the UN, I get asked, “Did we win the vote?” The answer is always “no”. There are only three things certain in life: death, taxes and that Israel will always be presumed guilty at the UN. But it was also not that long ago, that Israel did not have a voice, sovereignty or independence, but we have all that now, so I look at my advocacy not only as a privilege, but a duty and obligation.
You recently addressed the British Parliament – how did that go?
The briefing came on the back of the breakdown in hostage–ceasefire negotiations by Hamas, as well as Israel’s decision to halt aid to Gaza. So, there was a tremendous amount of attention, specifically on the legal considerations. I recall telling the members of Parliament and the House of Lords that, just as Churchill was not expected to provide aid to Nazi Germany during WWII, nor should Israel be required to provide aid to Gaza, when it is being diverted and used for military purposes by Hamas, yet there is a systematic double standard and misapplication of the law against the Jewish state.
What are some projects you are working on at the moment?
The difficulty today is which project to decline, given there is such overwhelming focus on the lawfare arena. At the moment, we are involved in a number of groundbreaking lawsuits on American campuses, such as Columbia, against groups and individuals accused of “aiding and abetting” Hamas. We are continuing to stand up for Israel before the international courts in The Hague, as well as the United Nations, while holding groups like the Red Cross accountable. There is also a tremendous amount of misinformation (and abuse) with respect to the application of the laws of armed conflict, as they relate to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
However, regardless the arena we are fighting in, the foremost priority is always advocating for the release of our hostages and underscoring that no army in the history of modern warfare, has done more to comply with international humanitarian law, than the IDF has in Gaza.
Israel is fighting for its survival. Why in your view, will it prevail?
Simply put, we have no other choice.
Although it was the Jewish state that was mercilessly attacked on October 7, we also need to underscore that this is not only a war between Israel and Hamas, but between good and evil, between those who believe in freedom and those who are barbarians, those who live by the norms of humanity and those who have no humanity. Israel is fighting not only to bring back our hostages, but defend Western civilisation. It is not a battle we can afford to lose – and we will prevail!
What is some advice for young Jews in the Diaspora who want to advocate for Israel?
Learn the facts, be persistent and don’t let the detractors define you. Be strong, proud and unapologetic Zionists!
comments