PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE – Issue. 293

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

10-16 August 2025

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

Prepared by: Nour Kharouf, Murad Abu Murad, Ahmad Al-Rjoub, and Arwa Abdel moniam

Translation: Aseel Ghabayen and Firdous Abdulhamid

Editing: Widad Hussein

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

• The Jerusalem Governorate warned against the occupation government’s decision to revive the E1 settlement plan and launch expansionist projects aimed at Judaizing the city and seizing Palestinian land. The plan includes the construction of 3,412 settlement units between Jerusalem and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement. The Governorate described the move as a declaration of all-out war on Palestinian land and identity, calling it a full-fledged war crime designed to sever the northern West Bank from the south, displace the residents of Khan al-Ahmar and surrounding Bedouin communities, and impose an irreversible settlement reality. It urged the international community, the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, and human rights organizations to take immediate action to stop the plan and support the steadfastness of Jerusalemites. The Governorate also reported that occupation authorities had issued 40 demolition and evacuation orders targeting residential and agricultural facilities in the al-Eizariya area, as part of preparations for the settlement scheme linking the “fabric of life” project with the “E1” and “Greater Jerusalem” projects. (August 14, 2025)

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

• Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that he would remain a member of the government and try to change its course, days after announcing that he had “lost faith” in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war strategy in Gaza, criticizing the recent cabinet decision to take over Gaza City without announcing a plan to control the entire Strip or annex it. He also emphasized the need to keep large areas of Gaza under “Israeli control and sovereignty” for re-settlement and attacked the expansion of humanitarian aid. (August 11, 2025)
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that he is on a “historic and spiritual mission”, and “very” attached to the vision of the Promised Land and “Greater Israel”. (August 12, 2025)
• Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told Newsmax that Israel’s acceptance of a Palestinian state would be suicidal, pointing out that the previous experience in the Gaza Strip after the full withdrawal in 2005 led to the creation of a “massive terror network”. He added that the Oslo Accords did not prevent terrorism but instead increased threats to Israeli safety, describing the two-state solution as a “two-state illusion.” (August 13, 2025)

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

• The United Kingdom, during a Security Council meeting requested together with several European countries, called on Israel to immediately reverse its decision to escalate military operations in Gaza, warning of the potential displacement of an additional million people. It emphasized the urgent need to lift all restrictions on humanitarian aid access. (August 10, 2025)
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Germany’s position on the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has remained unchanged, reaffirming his country’s ongoing support for Israel’s right to defend itself, despite the government’s decision to suspend the export of weapons that could be used in the Gaza conflict. He noted that solidarity with Israel does not mean supporting all of its government’s decisions and clarified that the German government cannot supply weapons for a conflict that may cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians. (August 10, 2025)
• New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters stated that the government will carefully consider the issue of recognizing the State of Palestine over the next month, indicating that “The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is rightly at the forefront of the global agenda.” He added, “New Zealand has been clear for some time that our recognition of a Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if.” (August 11, 2025)
• The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, stated that the war in Gaza is becoming more dangerous by the hour, asserting that the EU’s priorities remain humanitarian support, including ensuring access for NGOs. She added that if a military solution were possible, the war would already be over.. (August 11, 2025)
• The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed grave concern over Israel’s plan to expand military operations in Gaza, given the already deteriorating humanitarian and health situation in the region, warning that any escalation could further endanger children due to malnutrition and lack of healthcare. (August 10, 2025)
• Foreign ministers from Spain, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, and Slovenia strongly condemned the Israeli government’s announcement to intensify its occupation and military operations, including in Gaza City, warning that this decision would exacerbate the humanitarian crisis, endanger the lives of hostages, and forcibly displace about a million Palestinians. The ministers reiterated their rejection of any demographic or territorial changes in the occupied Palestinian territories, considering these actions a blatant violation of international law. (August 10, 2025)
• The United Nations Human Rights Commission condemned the killing of six Palestinian journalists by Israeli occupation forces targeting their tent, describing it as a gross violation of international humanitarian law. It emphasized that Israel must respect and protect all civilians, including journalists, noting that at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. It also called for immediate, safe, and unhindered access for all journalists to Gaza. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also condemned the killings. (August 11, 2025)
• France warned that expanding Israeli operations into Gaza City and the surrounding areas would lead to a guaranteed catastrophe, resulting in more civilian casualties and prolonging the war indefinitely. It indicated that, in cooperation with Saudi Arabia, it proposed the establishment of a temporary international stabilization mission mandated by the UN to create conditions for lasting peace, urging the Security Council to adopt it immediately. The French president stated that Israel’s plans would push toward an endless war, suggesting the formation of an international coalition under UN mandate to secure the Gaza Strip, protect civilians, and support a Palestinian government. (August 11, 2025)
• The UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, stated that the Israeli army continues to silence voices documenting the atrocities in Gaza, expressing his horror at the killing of five more journalists in Gaza City amid complete impunity. He also called for allowing international media access to Gaza. (August 11, 2025)
• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that his country would officially recognize the State of Palestine, stating that “until Israeli and Palestinian statehood is permanent, peace can only be temporary.” (August 11, 2025)
• The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, France, and Canada condemned the Israeli strike that killed a team of Al Jazeera journalists while they were carrying out their work in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Britain expressed its deep concern over the repeated targeting of journalists in Gaza. A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry stated that his government is disturbed by the killings, adding that Israel has several questions it must answer, including why it ignored the protected status of the targeted journalist and why the attack also led to the deaths of his colleagues. In addition, the Netherlands also called on Israel to provide clarifications. (August 11–12, 2025)
• United Nations experts stated that the deliberate killing of Al Jazeera’s four journalists in Gaza, including correspondent Anas Al-Sharif, is an attempt to silence reporting on the genocide and starvation in the besieged Strip. They condemned the targeted attacks in the strongest terms, stressing that the timing of these crimes, coinciding with Israel’s announcement of its plan to seize control of Gaza City, reflects a deliberate intent to prevent the exposure of atrocities committed by the Israeli Defense Forces. (August 12, 2025)
• United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres sent a letter to the Israeli Permanent Representative to the UN, warning that the United Nations is moving toward including Israel in its report on sexual violations. This comes in light of documented patterns of sexual violence against Palestinians in several prisons and detention centers. He called on the Israeli government to take immediate measures to end all acts of sexual violence. (August 12, 2025)
• The foreign ministers of 29 countries, along with the High Representative of the European Union and EU deputies and commissioners, issued a joint statement warning that the humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unbearable levels and that famine is unfolding before everyone’s eyes. They called for urgent action to stop the starvation, protect humanitarian space, and prevent the politicization of aid. They also demanded that the Israeli government grant permits for all shipments from international NGOs and lift restrictions that could force these organizations to leave the occupied Palestinian territories. (August 12, 2025)
• New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described the war in Gaza as “utterly appalling” and stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “lost the plot” and “gone too far.” He criticized the assault on Gaza City and Israel’s continued rejection of international calls to allow humanitarian aid without restrictions. (August 13, 2025)
• The Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, stated that she had warned the United Nations since March 2024 that the destruction of Gaza’s health system constitutes clear evidence of genocidal intent, expressing her astonishment at the UN’s paralysis. She stressed that states must break the blockade, send naval forces to deliver aid, and stop the genocide, warning that history will never forget this. (August 13, 2025)
• Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar condemned the statements made by the Prime Minister of the occupying entity regarding what is called the “Great Israel Vision.” Egypt demanded clarifications, stressing that this matter reflects a provocation of instability and a rejection of adopting the path of peace. The Arab League, the Arab Parliament, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also condemned these statements, describing them as reflecting expansionist and aggressive intentions. (August 13–14, 2025)
• United Nations experts stated that the targeted destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza by the Israeli Defense Forces amounts to a “medical genocide.” They stated that Israel is deliberately attacking and starving healthcare workers and hospitals with the aim of eliminating medical care in the besieged Strip, in the context of genocide and an apartheid system against the Palestinians. (August 13, 2025)
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of South Sudan has categorically denied media reports claiming that the government of South Sudan is engaged in discussions with Israel regarding the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza in South Sudan. (August 13, 2025)
• Jordan, Qatar, and Egypt condemned Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s approval of the settlement plan in the “E1” area and his extremist, racist statements aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state. Egypt also strongly condemned the announcement to build approximately 3400 settlements around occupied Jerusalem, describing the move as a sign of the Israeli government’s insistence on expansion, the forced displacement of Palestinians, and altering the demographic status. (August 14, 2025)
• UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini announced his support for the statement issued by 100 non-governmental organizations, pointing out that UNRWA , Like these NGOs, has also been banned from bringing in aid to Gaza for over five months, despite its warehouses in Egypt and Jordan are full with food, medicine and hygiene supplies to fill 6,000 trucks. He called for a ceasefire in Gaza and for aid to be allowed in, managed by the UN system including UNRWA. (August 14, 2025)

Publications of human rights NGOs

• The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) warned of the catastrophic consequences of Israel’s continued policy of using starvation as a weapon of war against the population of the Gaza Strip. This policy exacerbates the suffering of thousands of patients, particularly those with diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, premature infants, and individuals with chronic illnesses, while more than 85% of Gaza’s healthcare system has been destroyed and patients are denied travel for treatment. PCHR highlighted that the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Gaza documented 217 deaths related to famine and malnutrition as of August 10, 2025, including 100 children, a highly alarming indicator of the escalating catastrophe. (August 10, 2025)
• The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned Israel’s killing of six journalists in a targeted strike on a tent used by media near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, calling the incident a “massacre” that reaffirms Israel’s longstanding pattern of accusing journalists of being terrorists without providing credible evidence. CPJ demanded immediate accountability and protection for members of the press. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the Federation of Arab Journalists also condemned what they described as a heinous crime. (August 10–11, 2025)
• The Shams Center published a position paper in Arabic titled “Starvation as a Weapon of Genocide: A Tool for Subjugation and Demographic Fragmentation”, highlighting how starvation is used to subjugate civilians, break their will, impose political obedience, as well as the destruction of future generations and the effect of deliberate demographic change. (August 11, 2025)
• Amnesty International strongly condemned Israel’s deliberate killing of journalists, stressing that no conflict in modern history has seen a higher number of journalists killed than Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The organization called for an independent and impartial investigation into the killings of Palestinian journalists, with justice and full reparation for their families, and urged states to urgently act to bring an end to Israel’s genocide. (August 11, 2025)
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said that what has taken place at food distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is not aid but “orchestrated killing.” The organization demanded that GHF be dismantled immediately and that no state donor should fund it. MSF also called for the restoration of the UN-led coordination system and the lifting of the siege on Gaza to allow safe, large-scale humanitarian aid delivery. (August 11, 2025)
• The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) warned that the Australian Government’s announcement of its intention to recognise the State of Palestine is being used as a political fig leaf to shield Israel’s genocide and to deflect from Australia’s urgent legal obligations under the Genocide Convention. APAN stressed that recognition is meaningless while Australia continues to arm, trade with, diplomatically protect, and normalise relations with Israel. The network called on the Australian Government to impose comprehensive sanctions on Israel, enforce a two-way arms embargo, suspend trade agreements, and support full legal accountability for Israeli officials responsible for war crimes. (August 11, 2025)
• DAWN said that the US State Department’s 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Israel, West Bank, and Gaza, omits reference to some of the most serious violations of human rights by Israeli forces in Gaza, aiming to exonerate Israeli crimes and undermines the value and credibility of the annual report. (August 12, 2025)
• DAWN called on the UN General Assembly to move urgently to mandate an international protection force for the Gaza Strip under a Uniting for Peace resolution. (August 12, 2025)
• The Hind Rajab Foundation and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights submitted a communication to the International Criminal Court on war crimes and the crime of genocide committed by Israeli military and political officials in connection with the targeting and killing of journalists. The submission called for issuing arrest warrants against the relevant military commanders, expanding Netanyahu’s arrest warrant to include crimes against journalists, and formally including more than 220 journalist killings in the Court’s investigation. (August 12, 2025)
• More than 100 NGOs, in a joint letter, called for an end to Israel’s weaponization of aid in Gaza, stressing that most major international NGOs have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since March 2 due to new registration restrictions. These rules impose vague and politicized criteria, such as alleged “delegitimization” of Israel, and require the submission of sensitive personal information about staff and donors, exposing them to risks and violating data protection laws. The NGOs said this obstruction is designed to control humanitarian work, has deprived hospitals of essential supplies, and has caused civilians to die from starvation. They called on states and donors to press Israel to open all land crossings immediately and unconditionally. (August 14, 2025)
• An investigation by +972 Magazine and Local Call revealed the existence of a secret Israeli unit called the “Legitimization Cell,” tasked with gathering intelligence to bolster Israel’s image in the international media. (August 14, 2025)

Research and academic studies (in Arabic and English):

• The Journal of Human Rights, culture and legal system published a research paper by Yordan Gunawan titled: “The Effectiveness of International Law in Limiting Humanitarian Disasters in the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict.” (2025)
• The Journal of Common Market Studies published a research paper by researcher Daniela Verena Huber titled: “Organized Hypocrisy and the Logic of Coloniality. Explaining the EU’s Divergent Response to Grave Violations of International Law in Russia/Ukraine and Israel/Palestine” (2025)
• Sinergi International Journal of Law published a research paper by researcher Aidatul Fitriyah and others titled: “International Legal Analysis of Human Rights Violations and Alleged Genocide in Palestine: A Normative Juridical Approach.” (2025)
• KIU Interdisciplinary Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences published a research paper by researcher Godswill Owoche Antai titled: “The Politics in Enforcement of International Law: Israel-Gaza in Perspective.” (2025)
• Uti Possidetis: Journal of International Law published a research paper by researchers Muhammad Haris Aulawi and Ade Sherliana titled: “The Principle of Responsibility to Protect: Its Significance and Implementation In Israel-Palestine Conflict” (2025)
• The Journal of Balkan Studies published a research paper by researcher Hasan Basri Bulbul titled: “Selective Justice? Empirically Testing for Double Standards in the ICC’s Palestine and Ukraine Investigations.” (2025)
• The JURNAL KOMUNIKASI HUKUM published a research paper by researcher Yusuf Hofni Junior Kilikily titled: “A Legal Review of the International Criminal Court’s Position on Investigations into Human Rights Violations Against Palestinians and Israel.” (2025)

Opinion Pieces and features

• Human Rights and Democracy media Centers SHAMS published an article in Arabic by Omar Rahal titled: “From the ‘Sovereignty Vacuum’ Theory to the Legalization of Occupation: A Critical Reading of Yehuda Blum’s Propositions and the Israeli Annexation Discourse.” (August 10, 2025)
• Jordan News published an analytical essay by Ahmad M. Awad titled: “Historic Guilt, Present Complicity-Rethinking Germany’s Unconditional Support for Israel Occupation”. (August 10, 2025)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion article by Ahmed Ibsais titled: “The Western media is complicit in Israel’s murder of Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif ” (August 11, 2025)
• Opinio Juris published an article by Mohsen Al Attar titled: “What Will Gaza Become After Genocide? Restitution, Reparations, and Renewal (Part 3) ).” ( August 11, 2025)
• The Guardian published an article by Anas Al-Sharif titled: “‘If these words reach you… Israel has succeeded in killing me’: The Last Words of a Journalist Killed in Gaza.” (August 11, 2025)
• The International Lawyers Association published an article by Ann MacMillan titled: “Proscription of Palestine Action ‘a dangerous shift in the law.” (August 12, 2025)
• EJIL:Talk! published an article by Ashley Stanley-Ryan titled: “On Conditional and Delayed Recognition [of the Palestinian State].” (August 12, 2025)
• Jonathan Cook published an article titled: “The BBC helped kill Anas al-Sharif. Its reporting will kill more journalists”. (August 12, 2025)

• Mondowiess published an op-ed by Daphna Baram and Michael Sfard titled: “Observations from the West Bank: the Jewish Supremacy monster cannot be contained”. (August 12, 2025)
• The Guardian published an op-ed by Hanno Hauenstein titled: “How German media outlets helped pave the way for Israel’s murder of journalists in Gaza”. (August 13, 2025)
• Haaretz published an editorial titled: “With IDF Soldiers and Settlers Expelling Palestinians, the West Bank Is Seeing a Creeping Nakba”. (August 13, 2025)
• Le Monde published an article by Elie Barnavi and Vincent Lemire titled: “ President, if immediate sanctions are not imposed on Israel, you will end up recognizing a cemetery”. (August 15, 2025)
• Opinio Juris published an article by Dr. Mais Qandil titled: “Settler Violence as State Wrongful Act and Third State Obligations.” (August 15, 2025)

Legal Achievements/Impacts for Palestine

• Norway’s $1.9 trillion sovereign wealth fund decided to divest from 11 Israeli companies and terminate all contracts with external managers in Israel, following public outcry over the fund’s investments linked to the war in Gaza. (August 11, 2025)

Human rights conferences and events

• One hundred and ten former members of the European Parliament called on the European Commission to request a complete suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. They urged the Commission to ensure that Member States agree to full suspension; otherwise, this would be considered a violation of Article 265 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and an exposure of complicity. (August 10, 2025)