PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE – Vol. 73

Your weekly survey of the most important publications and activities related to Palestine and law, from local and international sources

23-29 May 2021

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

This weekly report reviews the legal dynamics of the Palestine question, and everything related to international law and Palestine. The report includes an account of the most important publications, activities and conferences related to Palestine at the local, regional, international levels. The report further covers decisions, decrees, and judicial orders affecting the Palestinian cause, whether made at the official, academic or public levels. The report aims to be a reference for monitoring, documenting and archiving the latest human rights developments related to Palestine, and to present them to individuals, researchers, study centers, and official, academic and legal institutions concerned.

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Judicial decrees, decisions, positions, and orders issued by official Palestinian bodies

• Palestinian MOFAE condemns ongoing Israeli raids on al-Aqsa as an attempt to thwart ceasefire and calm. (May. 23, 2021). For further details, click here
• Minister of Jerusalem Affairs warns against a new displacement and ethnic cleansing campaign in Batn al-Hawa neighborhood, Jerusalem. (May. 23, 2021). For further details, click here
• Department of Palestinian Refugee Affairs calls on “UNRAW” to take action to meet the needs of refugees devastated by the war on Gaza. (May. 23, 2021). For further details, click here
• Fadi al-Hidmi, Minister of Jerusalem Affairs: re-opening US consulate in Jerusalem has many implications (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• Palestine Rep. to the UN sends letters to UN bodies urging accountability and action on Israeli war crimes. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• Palestinian MOFA: escalation in Batn al-Hawa is considered a real test for the American position declared by Blinken. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• Palestinian Prime Minister warns against repeated Israeli aggression on Gaza. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• The Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees calls for an end to the retaliatory attack launched by Israel inside the 1948 territories. (May. 24, 2021). For further details, click here
• The Department of Human Rights and Palestinian Civil Society calls for confronting the occupation’s retaliatory campaign against the Palestinian citizens of Israel. (May. 24, 2021). For further details, click here
• Palestinian MOFA: the international position remains inadequate unless Israel is forced to end its attacks (May. 27, 2021). For further details, click here
• The head of the Palestinian Human Rights and Civil Society Department: welcomes the decision of the Human Rights Council. (May. 28, 2021). For further details, click here

Judicial decrees, decisions, positions, and orders issued by official Israeli bodies

• Israel’s Central Court postpones case of another forced eviction of Palestinian families in Silwan, occupied Jerusalem. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here

• Following a petition by JLAC: Israeli Supreme Court decided to halt the demolition of the Furush Beit Dajan School. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here

• Israel punitively revokes health insurance of 16 former prisoners from Jerusalem (May. 27, 2021). For further details, click here

• Israel approves the construction of hundreds of settlement units east of Bethlehem in the West Bank. (May. 27, 2021). For further details, click here

Judicial decrees, decisions, positions, and orders issued by Arab, European, and international bodies

• The US State Department pledges that the United States will deal with the “grave humanitarian situation in Gaza. (May. 23, 2021). For further details, click here
• The Tunisian Foreign Ministry stresses the need to end the occupation. (May. 24, 2021). For further details, click here
• A Polish parliamentarian describes what happens in Gaza as a humanitarian tragedy that requires intervention and bringing peace to the region. (May. 24, 2021). For further details, click here 
• UNRWA Commissioner-General affirms the organization’s commitment to the rights of refugees in the Gaza Strip. (May. 24, 2021). For further details, click here 
• More than 500 Democratic congressmen in the U.S. have signed a letter urging Biden to hold Israel accountable and protect the rights of Palestinians. (May. 25, 2021). For further details, click here 
• S. State Department: U.S. provides 5.5 million dollars in urgent aid to Gaza. (May. 25, 2021). For further details, click here
• Ireland calls on Israel to end its de facto annexation of Palestinian lands. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• WHA adopts draft resolution for Palestine and the Golan Heights titled “Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan”. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• President of the Arab Parliament: The Parliament will go to international courts to protect the Palestinians in the future. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• The Belgian municipality of Ghent considers recent acts of violence in Gaza to constitute a serious violation of human rights. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• Pakistan stresses the need to deploy international peace forces to protect Palestinians. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• Blinken: We oppose any unilateral action that undermines the prospects for progress and real peace.” (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• Japan provides 10 million dollars in urgent aid for Palestine. (May. 27, 2021). For further details, click here
• UNHRC votes in favor of forming an international commission of inquiry (COI) into human rights violations in the Palestinian territories and Israel. (May. 27, 2021). For further details, click here
• Bulgaria’s PM: War cannot bring about a viable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; effective use of diplomatic mechanisms can. (May. 27, 2021). For further details, click here
• UN: Israeli strikes on Gaza may constitute war crimes. (May. 27, 2021). For further details, click here
• The High Representative for Security Policy and Foreign Affairs of the European Union: There is no alternative to a two-state solution to give Palestinians and Israelis the dignity, freedom, and ability to live together. (May. 28, 2021). For further details, click here
• Brussels Parliament adopts a resolution in favor of Palestine calling for condemning the Israeli occupation and recognizing Palestine on the 1967 borders. (May. 28, 2021). For further details, click here
• Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Middle East: The “two-state solution” is the only way forward in the Middle East. (May. 29, 2021). For further details, click here

Publications of human rights NGOs

• The Palestinian Bar Association: “We will provide the national legal stock to hold Israel accountable before international courts.” (May. 24, 2021). For further details, click here
• The JPA and Palestinian Journalist Union agree on an action plan to expose the crimes of Israeli occupation. (May. 24, 2021). For further details, click here
• The Arab Network of National Human Rights Institutions calls on the Secretary-General of the UN to publish the ESCWA report condemning Israel for the crime of apartheid. (May. 25, 2021). For further details, click here
• The Arab Committee for Human Rights calls for protection and prevention of the displacement of the people of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• Some 26 Maltese civil institutions and associations call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Malta to condemn the Israeli aggression and to use all diplomatic means to protect the rights of the Palestinian people. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• Amnesty International: Israel’s plans to forcibly evict Palestinian families from Silwan, Jerusalem, must be rescinded. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• Palestinian and Egyptian Red Crescent call for uniting efforts to provide relief to the afflicted in Gaza. (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• B’Tselem: What distinguishes the decision of the UNHRC is the ICC’s jurisdiction to investigate crimes in the Palestinian territories. (May. 29, 2021). For further details, click here
• Rutgers Faculty calls on the US administration to intervene to protect the Palestinians and prevent their displacement. (May. 29, 2021). For further details, click here

Academic research and studies

• Al-Zaytouna Center for Studies and Consultation publishes a book entitled “How to sue Israel? The international prosecution of Israel and its leaders for their crimes against the Palestinians.” (May. 26, 2021). For further details, click here
• A solidarity stand in Berlin to condemn the bias of the German media to the Israeli occupation during the recent aggression on the Palestinian territories. (May. 28, 2021). For further details, click here

Human rights conferences and events

• The Palestine Institute for National Security Studies organized a symposium on Jerusalem and the Israeli Terrorism. (May. 23, 2021). For further details, click here
• Dozens of Harvard University professors condemn the racism of Israel and show their solidarity with Palestine. (May. 23, 2021). For further details, click here
• The BDS Movement launches a campaign to boycott Israeli products. (May 26, 2021). For further details, click here