PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE – Issue. 325

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

22 – 28 March 2026

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

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

Translation: Mohammed Janineh and Maisaa’ Abdelqader

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.

To view this Issue of Palestine’s Legal Scene, please click here (5 minutes read)

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

• The Palestinian Presidency, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Palestinian National Council condemned the deliberate and organized attacks by settler militias against various areas in cities, villages, and towns in the occupied West Bank, as well as the escalation of their systematic and widespread crimes and acts of terrorism, which are supported and coordinated by the Israeli occupation authorities and army. They called on the international community to take practical measures and not limit itself to statements, to assume its responsibilities in implementing UN resolutions, including the disarmament of settlers, and to ensure accountability and prosecution of settlers for their actions. (March 22, 2026)
• The Jerusalem Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization condemned the Israeli occupation authorities’ notification to seven inhabited Palestinian homes in the eastern neighborhood of Qalandiya village, north of occupied Jerusalem, ordering their evacuation in preparation for demolition under the pretext of building without a permit, despite the fact that the homes have stood for decades and are inhabited. (March 24, 2026)
• The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Palestinian National Councilwelcomed the statement issued by the member states of the UN Security Council on behalf of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and European countries, rejecting annexation, ethnic cleansing, and attempts to alter the demographic composition, nature, and status of the occupied Palestinian territory. (March 24, 2026)
• The President of the Palestinian National Council, RawhiFattouh, stated that the approval by the National Security Committee of the Israeli Knesset of the “execution of prisoners” bill—paving the way for its second and third readings next week—represents a dangerous deterioration in the structure of the racist legal system of the far-right government. He added that it constitutes an official shift toward legislating killing based on national identity, in blatant violation of the rules of international humanitarian law. (March 25,2026)

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

• The Israeli Knesset’s National Security Committee approved a bill to impose the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners, paving the way for a vote in its second and third readings next week. The legislation stipulates the imposition of the death penalty on anyone who “intentionally causes the death of a person in the context of an act classified as terrorism,” and provides that no pardon or clemency may be granted in such cases, effectively making the sentence final, with no possibility of political or legal mitigation. (March 25, 2026)

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

• The Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministries condemned the attacks carried out by Israeli settlers in several villages and towns in the northern West Bank under the protection of the occupation forces. The Speaker of the Arab Parliament also condemned these attacks, emphasizing that they represent a dangerous and systematic escalation. (March 22-25, 2026)
• The UN Secretary-General condemns the recent attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank, noting that these near-daily attacks have become increasingly severe, resulting in deaths, injuries, significant property damage, and the displacement of entire communities. He stressed that Israeli authorities bear the responsibility to protect the Palestinian population, end impunity, and hold those responsible to account. (March 23, 2026)
• The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, presented a report to the Human Rights Council documenting Israel’s systematic use of torture against Palestinians, warning that torture, long shielded by decades of impunity and political cover, has become a defining instrument of ongoing genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcomed the report, highlighting the gravity of its findings. (March 23, 2026)
• United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the “increasingly severe” recent attacks carried out by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. He reiterated that Israeli settlements and their associated infrastructure “have no legal validity”.(March 24, 2026)
• The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, stated that settler violence in the West Bank continues unabated, with violations including incursions into Palestinian areas, attacks on residents, and the burning of property, in the absence of accountability. He affirmed that the International Court of Justice has ruled the Israeli occupation illegal and that it must be ceased; however, settlement activities and expansion continue, requiring urgent action to put a stop to these violations. (March 25, 2026)
• The UN Human Rights Office reported that at least 16 Palestinian families were forcibly evicted from their homes in Batn al-Hawa, Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem between 22 and 25 March, as part of the alarming acceleration of Israeli efforts to empty areas surrounding the Old City of Palestinians and replace them with settlers. The Office called on the international community to put an end to forced displacements, ensure accountability for violations of international law, and uphold Palestinians’ rights, including the right to self-determination. (March 26, 2026)
• The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) confirmed that the ceasefire in Gaza was merely nominal, as airstrikes and bombardment continued six months after it came into effect, resulting in more than 670 civilian casualties. The agency warned that Palestinians continue to live under extremely dangerous and marginalized conditions. (March 26, 2026)
• The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the “Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice,” reiterating its request to the Independent International Commission of Inquiry to report on both the direct and indirect transfer or sale of arms to Israel, including those used during the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023. (March 28, 2026)

Publications of human rights NGOs:

• The Palestinian NGO Network warned of the grave danger posed by the ongoing measures implemented by the Israeli occupation government over the past years, emphasizing that these actions fall within the framework of a systematic policy aimed at effectively undermining the existence of the Palestinian National Authority. The Network asserted that this constitutes a comprehensive approach designed to dismantle the Palestinian political and institutional infrastructure, while imposing new facts on the ground that pave the way for further control and annexation. (March 23, 2026)
• The Commission of Detainees Affairs issued an urgent appeal to the free people of the world, calling for immediate action to halt the proposed “Execution of Prisoners Law” before it is passed. (March 25, 2026)
• Al-Haq welcomed the landmark decision of the Brussels Court of Appeal issued on 16 March, which found that Belgium had not done everything reasonably within its power, at the opportune moment, to prevent Israel from committing genocide and serious violations of the Geneva Conventions against the Palestinian people. (March 25, 2026)
• The Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Advocacy stated that the increasing arrest of prisoners’ wives in the West Bank constitutes a direct form of Israeli pressure on prisoners and the targeting of their families, aiming to keep prisoners and their families in a constant state of fear and instability. (March 24, 2026)
• The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories (B’Tselem) said that Israeli prisons are holding about 9,446 Palestinians, including 4,691 in administrative detention, meaning they are detained without charge, trial, or the ability to defend themselves. It added that Israel continues to operate a network of torture camps for Palestinian prisoners from north to south, where they are subjected to systematic abuse, including physical and psychological violence, inhuman conditions, starvation, and the denial of medical treatment. The organization noted that it had previously published a report titled “Living Hell” on the reality of Palestinian prisoners. (March 23, 2026)
• Save the Children UK reported that a Palestinian child died in an Israeli prison after six months without charge, with suspicions that he was starved to death. The organization asserted that this incident reflects a wider pattern of mistreatment of Palestinian children in detention centers. Save the Children noted that Palestinian children are systematically tried in military courts and subjected to abuses including physical and psychological torture, humiliation, and inhumane detention conditions. (March 26, 2026)
• The Palestinian Red Crescent Society announced the success of a scientific study conducted by a medical team working at its hospitals on the prevalence of impetigo and scabies among children in the Gaza Strip. The study revealed that limited access to clean water, with only 44% of children able to obtain it consistently, is a major contributing factor to the spread of these diseases. (March 25, 2026)

Research and academic studies (in Arabic and English):

• Stanford Database Library of International Journal of Law And Criminology published a research paper by the researcher HayderAneed Al-Moussawi and Rusul Ibrahim Mardan Al-Kalabi, titled: “Human Rights Violations in The Gaza War: A Case Study According to International Humanitarian Law”. (2026)
• The African Journal of Legal Studies published a research paper by Ibrahim Harun and Anthony Diala, titled: “Ubuntu and Culturally Informed Litigation: South’s Africa  Case Against Israel  at the ICJ”.(2026)

Opinion Pieces and features:

• Al Jazeera published an opinion by Ahmed Najjar, titled: “Why the world should worry about Israel’s nuclear doctrine”. (March 22, 2026)
• Truthout published an article by Iman Abu Zayid, titled: “With Gaza’s Libraries in Ruins, Palestinians Fight to Preserve Historical Memory”. (March 22, 2026)
• Arab News published an article by Chris Doyle, titled: “Iran war a five-star opportunity for West Bank settlers”. (March 23, 2026)
• +972 Magazine published an article by Oren Ziv and Ariel Cain, titled: “Erasing the lines’: How settler outposts are seizing new regions of the West Bank”. (March 24, 2026)
• Haaretz published an article by HaninMajadli, titled: “Today’s Zionism Is on a Mad Dash Toward a Messianic Colonialist Project”.(March 27, 2026)
• Haaretz published an opinion piece by Carolina Landsmann, titled: “Israel Can’t Survive by Ignoring Its Conflict With the Palestinians. History Demands Action”. (March 27, 2026)
• Mondoweiss published an article by Ahmad Ibsais, titled: “Israel’s widespread use of torture is a core element of its genocide against the Palestinian people”. (March 27, 2026)

Human rights conferences and events:

• Former ambassadors and senior officials in the Israeli diplomatic corps called on the Israeli government to immediately halt settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. The petition, signed by more than 90 former ambassadors and diplomats, states that this unacceptable violence -escalating under the cover of war- is fundamentally at odds with the most basic principles of good governance and ethics. It adds that such actions constitute a clear breach of both international and Israeli law, and warns that the absence of any adequate response from the leadership can only be interpreted as tacit support for these acts. (March 25, 2026)