PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE – Issue. 298

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

14 – 20 September 2025

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

Prepared by: Nour Kharouf, Murad Abu Murad, and Arwa Abdel Moniam

  Translation: Ferdous Abdul Hamid and Asma Louzon

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 Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, Minister Riyad Mansour, sent three identical letters to the UN Secretary-General, the President of the Security Council for this month, and the President of the General Assembly. In the letters, he warned against Israel’s ongoing killing, wounding, and terrorizing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, as well as the escalating violence in the West Bank, stressing the urgent need for international protection for the Palestinian people. (September 17, 2025)
• The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Fiji’s decision to open an embassy in occupied Jerusalem, calling it an affront to the Palestinian people and a blatant violation of international law. The ministry urged Fiji to reconsider and reverse its decision. (September 18, 2025)
• The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Israeli calls to treat the Gaza Strip as property to be sold or divided amount to an official acknowledgment of plans for genocide and displacement. It said such calls further prove the occupation’s ongoing destruction of Gaza, turning it into an uninhabitable territory and posing a clear threat to its residents. The ministry stressed that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the State of Palestine. (September 18, 2025)

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

• Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he seeks to finish the mission and occupy Gaza, asserting his intention to build a luxury neighbourhood for Israeli police officers atop the ruins of the Gaza Strip overlooking the sea. He added that the time has come to promote Jewish settlement, encourage the voluntary emigration of Palestinians, and impose the death penalty on Palestinians he described as terrorists. (September 15, 2025)

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

• US Senator Beth Liston announced the cancellation of her planned trip to Israel, saying her original aim was to press the Israeli government with tough questions about its handling of humanitarian aid in Gaza. She explained that she came to realize her participation could be exploited as a propaganda tool to support Israeli policies, and therefore decided to withdraw. (September 13, 2025)
• UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned that “no place is safe in Gaza, and no one is safe,” noting that airstrikes in Gaza City and the north are intensifying. He called for urgent action to secure an immediate ceasefire. (September 14, 2025)
• The UN condemned the latest Israeli escalation in Gaza that left dozens of casualties. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric warned of the catastrophic impact on civilians already facing hunger and severe hardship, reiterating the call for their protection and respect for international law. According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the cost of moving south within the Strip has reached about $1,600, forcing many families to remain in the north. The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that forced displacement is draining families’ remaining resources, while Dujarric cautioned that hunger is worsening, especially among children, after one-third of malnutrition treatment centers were forced to close. (September 14, 2025)
• French parliamentarian Thomas Portes said Spain has become the pride of Europe for its commitment to the Palestinian people. He declared that what is happening in Gaza amounts to genocide and called for a comprehensive boycott of Israel at the sporting, cultural, and diplomatic levels. (September 15, 2025)
• UN experts warned of a looming economic collapse in the occupied Palestinian territory as a result of Israel’s attacks on Gaza and its broader financial stranglehold. They reported that most commercial, agricultural, and industrial assets have been damaged, unemployment has surged above 80 percent, and poverty and famine have reached unprecedented levels as the prices of basic goods soar amid a liquidity crisis and Israel’s blocking of currency inflows. They also noted that the West Bank is suffering from the withholding of tax revenues and the threat of being cut off from the global financial system. (September 15, 2025)
• UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher warned that the number of people facing catastrophic hunger in Gaza may exceed 640,000 this month, stressing that the women, elderly, and children of Gaza “cannot eat statements of concern.” At a press conference in New York, he said famine was both foreseeable and preventable, and outlined a clear solution: a ceasefire, the entry of hundreds of trucks daily, safe routes, the restoration of electricity and water, and the removal of bureaucratic obstacles. He also condemned statements by Israeli ministers about destroying Gaza and bombing aid, saying the crisis reflects the erosion of the rules of war. (September 15, 2025)
• The UK Ministry of Defence decided to ban Israeli students from enrolling at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London starting next year, in response to the escalation of the war in Gaza and Israel’s announcement in August of plans to take control of Gaza City. (September 15, 2025)
• Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel confirmed that the country will recognize the State of Palestine during the UN General Assembly, in a move aimed at supporting the two-state solution. The government clarified that the recognition would be declaratory and would not, for the time being, include sanctions against Israel. (September 15, 2025)
• British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the new Israeli attack on Gaza is utterly “reckless and appalling”, stressing that it will only bring more bloodshed, kill more innocent civilians, and endanger the remaining She called for an immediate ceasefire, ensuring unrestricted access for humanitarian aid, and a path to lasting peace. (September 16, 2025)
• European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas warned that an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza would worsen an already desperate situation, bringing more death, destruction, and displacement. She announced that the EU would propose measures to pressure Israel, including suspending trade facilitations and imposing sanctions on extremist ministers and violent settlers. (September 16, 2025)
• The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Israel’s launch of a ground offensive in Gaza City marks a new phase in the Netanyahu government’s genocidal plans, warning that targeting the city will escalate massacres, displace hundreds of thousands, and deepen the suffering of the Palestinian people. (September 16, 2025)
• A new report by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, stating: “It is clear there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.” Commission Chair Navi Pillay said: “Responsibility for these atrocious crimes lies with the Israeli authorities at the highest levels, who have orchestrated a campaign of genocide for nearly two years with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza”. (September 16, 2025)
• A UNICEF spokesperson in Gaza warned that mass forced displacement is threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and vulnerable families as Israeli bombardment continues and the ground assault escalates. She noted that about 70,000 people have been displaced southward in recent days, where they face catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the so-called “humanitarian zone” in Al-Mawasi, which is overcrowded with tents and lacking basic services. (September 16, 2025)
• President Michael D. Higgins said his Israeli counterpart, Yitzhak Herzog, misled him over a promise to deliver Irish food consignments to Gaza, noting that the two shipments remain in Amman. He called for Israel and its arms suppliers to be excluded from the United Nations and for trade with them to end. He added that the European Union cannot call itself a union if it does not take action against Israel, accusing some of its larger members of remaining silent in the face of a man-made famine. (September 16, 2025)
• The foreign ministers of Qatar, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, Libya, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mexico, Pakistan, Oman, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey expressed concern over the safety of the “The Global Sumud Flotilla.” They called on all parties to refrain from any unlawful or violent action against the fleet and stressed that any violation of international law or the rights of its participants, including attacks on ships in international waters or unlawful detention, would lead to accountability. (September 16, 2025)
• Israel denied entry to two British Labour Party MPs, Simon Opher and Peter Prinsley, during an official parliamentary visit to the occupied West Bank. British Minister for Middle East Affairs Hamish Faulkner said Israel’s refusal to allow the MPs into the occupied Palestinian territories was unacceptable. (September 16–17, 2025)
• The foreign ministries of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait condemned the large-scale ground operation launched by Israel to seize control of Gaza. Qatar described it as an extension of the war of genocide, while Saudi Arabia warned of the dangers of Israel’s continued bloody campaign against Gaza and its residents, calling on the permanent members of the UN Security Council to take immediate action to stop the killing, starvation, and displacement. France also strongly condemned the expansion of Israel’s assault in central Gaza City, urging it to end the destructive campaign. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the new operation as “reckless and appalling,” while Canada’s foreign ministry called the attack “horrific” and said it is worsening the humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry expressed strong opposition to Israel’s escalation in Gaza and urged it to work toward a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire. (September 16–17, 2025)
• The Arab Parliament condemned the dangerous expansion of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, saying the continuation of the aggression constitutes a full-fledged war crime. The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States warned that the operation represents a new chapter in the series of genocide. European Commission President Kaja Kallas also cautioned that the Israeli ground assault on Gaza would worsen the situation, bringing more death, destruction, and displacement. (September 16–17, 2025)
• The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the Republic of Fiji’s decision to open an embassy in occupied Jerusalem, calling it unacceptable and a blatant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions. (September 17, 2025)
• The European Commission submitted a proposal to the Council of the European Union to suspend certain trade provisions in the EU-Israel Association Agreement and to impose sanctions on extremist Israeli ministers and violent settlers. The Commission said the decision followed a review concluding that Israel’s policies violate Article 2 of the agreement, which concerns respect for human rights and democratic principles. It also announced the suspension of bilateral aid to Israel between 2025 and 2027, except for funding directed to civil society and the Yad Vashem Foundation. European Council President António Costa welcomed the proposals, stressing that the decision now rests with the member states. He said the measures are intended to affirm that Europe cannot accept the practices of the Israeli government in Gaza and the West Bank, which have gone beyond Israel’s legitimate right to self-defense. (September 17, 2025)
• UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Gaza has become the battleground for a fierce and rampant information war, where disinformation is being used to distract from atrocities in the war-torn enclave. He noted that UNRWA was the first target, followed by other UN agencies, media outlets, and health institutions. He pointed to the denial of famine in Gaza and attempts to discredit the findings of this week’s UN commission of inquiry as the latest examples of efforts to undermine international expert assessments, promote narratives that deny atrocities, and strip Palestinians of their humanity. (September 18, 2025)
• The United Nations Security Council failed to adopt a draft resolution calling for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza after the United States vetoed the proposal, despite 14 of 15 members voting in favor. (September 18, 2025)
• The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced that Brazil submitted a declaration of intervention on September 17 in the case concerning the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel). (September 19, 2025)
• The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Portugal will officially recognize the State of Palestine on September 21, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly meeting, during which around 10 other countries are expected to take the same step. (September 19, 2025)
• The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, by a recorded vote of 145 in favor, 5 against, and 6 abstentions, regarding the participation of the Palestinian delegation in next week’s high-level meetings. The resolution, without setting a precedent, allows the State of Palestine to submit a pre-recorded statement from its President to be played in the General Assembly Hall during the general debate, and to deliver statements by videoconference or pre-recorded message at the High-level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. The resolution also expressed regret over the United States’ decision to deny visas to Palestinian representatives and revoke previously granted visas, preventing their in-person participation in the eightieth session meetings. (September 19, 2025)

Publications of human rights NGOs:

• The Hind Rajab Foundation called on Greek authorities to open a thorough investigation into Israeli soldier David Hadar for his involvement in physically assaulting Palestinian demonstrators in Syntagma Square in Athens, which resulted in injuries and arrests. The Foundation said he is implicated in several war crimes during the assault on Gaza, including the attack on Nasser Hospital in August 2025 and the killing of Palestinian paramedics. It stressed Greece’s obligations under the Geneva Conventions to investigate and prosecute individuals accused of war crimes present on its territory. (September 14, 2025)
• Oxfam warned that the continued expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has had devastating humanitarian and economic consequences for Palestinians. It said Israel’s systematic exploitation of land, water, and natural resources, along with severe movement and access restrictions, has deliberately stifled the Palestinian economy and entrenched widespread poverty. Oxfam also emphasized that trade with Israeli settlements is incompatible with international law. (September 15, 2025)
• Médecins Sans Frontières warned of an imminent catastrophe in Gaza, saying more than one million people face renewed terror after receiving emergency orders to evacuate Gaza City ahead of a major Israeli ground offensive. The organization stressed that the situation is not just a humanitarian catastrophe, but represents the systematic destruction of the Palestinian people and genocide committed with absolute impunity. (September 15, 2025)
• More than 80 civil society organizations launched a new international campaign, “Stop Trade with Settlements,” urging states to ban all forms of trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including companies and financial institutions that support the settlement enterprise. The report Trading With Illegal Settlements notes that continued dealings by foreign states and corporations with these settlements directly enable the humanitarian crisis driven by Israel’s prolonged occupation. (September 15, 2025)
• The New Humanitarian published an extensive investigation revealing that, since January 2024, Israeli forces have carried out approximately 200 attacks on Palestinians attempting to access aid, resulting in at least 2,957 deaths and 19,866 injuries, about 4.6% of total deaths and 12% of total injuries in the Gaza war. The investigation concluded that these assaults are part of a deliberate policy aimed at imposing famine, forcing displacement, and destroying the Palestinian community’s ability to survive. (September 15, 2025)
• Amnesty International said there is no more time for excuses as evidence of Israel’s genocide continues to mount. It noted that the UN Commission of Inquiry report further confirms what it has been concluding for months: Israeli authorities and forces have committed, and are continuing to commit, genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. (September 16, 2025)
• The Hind Rajab Foundation submitted a formal criminal complaint to the Dutch National Prosecutor for International Crimes against former Israeli soldier Adir Yiftach, currently residing in the Netherlands, on charges of committing war crimes and genocide in the Gaza Strip. The Foundation emphasized the Netherlands’ legal obligations under national law and the Geneva Conventions to investigate and prosecute individuals accused of international crimes when present on its territory, calling for an immediate arrest warrant. (September 16, 2025)
• More than 20 aid organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières, issued an urgent call to world leaders to intervene after the United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded that what is happening in Gaza constitutes genocide. They affirmed that the Strip is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, deliberately made uninhabitable, and warned that history will judge this moment. The organizations also stated that the continued treatment of member states’ legal obligations as optional makes them complicit. (September 17, 2025)
• The Council for Arab-British Understanding expressed deep regret over Israeli authorities’ decision to deny entry to two British MPs on a Caabu delegation to the occupied West Bank, citing “public security or public safety or public order considerations” without explaining how the MPs posed any threat. The Council noted that this is the second time this year that Israel has barred a parliamentary delegation. (September 17, 2025)
• B’Tselem confirmed that collective punishment has become official policy in the West Bank, citing statements by Major General Avi Blot, head of the Israeli army’s Central Command, who said last month that every village and every enemy must know they will pay a heavy price through curfews, sieges, and military operations. The organization noted that on September 11, Israeli forces raided the city of Tulkarm as part of what it described as Israel’s routine repression of Palestinians under a system of apartheid and genocide. (September 18, 2025)
• Amnesty International issued a briefing calling on states, institutions, and companies to end the global political economy that facilitates Israel’s ongoing violations of international law, including the genocide in Gaza, the unlawful occupation of all Palestinian territory, and the system of apartheid. It stressed that complicity, support, or international inaction has enabled Israel to continue these practices through an endless supply of weapons, surveillance equipment, and privileged trading relations. Secretary-General Agnès Callamard said the time has come to end the lethal addiction to profits at any cost. (September 18, 2025)
• The Hind Rajab Foundation filed an urgent criminal complaint with the Dutch National Public Prosecutor’s Office, calling for the immediate arrest and prosecution of First Lieutenant Assaf Aviram, accused of committing war crimes and genocide during Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip between 2024 and 2025. The complaint states that Aviram’s acts fall under genocide and war crimes (Articles 6 and 8 of the Rome Statute). The Foundation also submitted a criminal complaint to the Public Prosecutor of the Court of First Instance in Athens against Israeli soldier Naor Shlomo Dadon, citing documented allegations of war crimes and genocide during his operations in Gaza. The complaint is based on a 70-page investigative report, along with posts and materials published on social media, showing his alleged participation in the burning and demolition of civilian facilities, including a school and a shelter for displaced persons, and his public celebration of the destruction. (September 18–19, 2025)

Opinion Pieces and features:

• Pass Blue published an opinion piece by Mona Ali Khalil titled: “What Can the UN General Assembly Do to End Israel’s Occupation?” . (September 14, 2025)
• The New Humanitarian published an article by Riley Sparks titled: “Israel’s mass killing of Gaza aid seekers: An undeniable pattern of escalating atrocity crimes”. (September 15, 2025)
• Taylor and Francis published a research article by Ibrahim Fraihat and Reema Aburamadan titled: “Colonial scripts: how Western political discourse facilitates the erasure of Palestinian humanity”. (September 15,2025)
• The New York Times published an opinion article by Navi Pillay titled: “My U.N. Commission’s Finding: Israel Is Committing Genocide”. (September 16, 2025)
• The Guardian published an Editorial titled: “The Guardian view on the UN’s genocide finding: Britain – and the world – can no longer look away”. (September 16, 2025)
• Arab News published an op-ed by Osama Al-Sharif titled: “Accountability elusive despite UN’s Gaza genocide conclusion”. (September 16, 2025)
• Mondoweiss published an op-ed by Abdaljawad Omar titled: “Israel moves to embrace its isolation”. (September 18, 2025)
• Mondoweiss published an op-ed by Nadia B. Ahmad titled: “How the Israel lobby is fighting to turn back grassroots support for Palestine in the Democratic Party — and why it won’t win”. (September 19, 2025)
• Middle East Eye published an opinion article by Ralph Wilde titled: “Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory: With UN deadline expires, all states must act”. (September 19, 2025)

Research and academic studies (in Arabic and English):

• The Vienna International Institute for Middle East Studies published a research paper by Iria Villar Mujeriego titled: “Analysis of the Efficacy of the ICJ and the ICC Performance in Resolving Israel-Palestine Conflict”. (2025)
• The University of Minho published a research paper by Mahnoor Ali titled: “The Prohibition of Genocide in International Law & the Case of Palestine.” (2025)
• The Journal of Al-Resalah for Human Studies and Research published a research paper by Ferhi Rabiaa titled: “Israeli Persecution Crime of Palestinian Refugees Under Rome Statute: Right of Return as a Model”. (2025)
• Cambridge University published a research paper David Kretzmer titled: “The West Bank as Occupied Territory: The Irrelevance of the Mandate and the lack of Jordanian Sovereignty”. (2025)
• Frontiers in public health Journal published a research paper by Rita Giacaman and others titled: “Measuring human rights violations from an ecological perspective using a locally generated instrument: a cross-sectional study of Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank”. (2025)

Legal Achievements/Impacts for Palestine:

• The Italian port of Ravenna, on the Adriatic Sea, refused entry to two trucks carrying explosives en route to Haifa Port in Israel. Alessandro Barattoni, the center-left mayor of Ravenna, said the port authority approved the request submitted by him and the local government to block the trucks’ entry. He emphasized: “The Italian state says it has blocked the sale of arms to Israel, but it is unacceptable that, thanks to bureaucratic loopholes, they can pass through Italy from other countries”. (August 18, 2025)