PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE – Issue. 355

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

18 – 24 October 2026

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

Prepared by: Nour Kharouf

Translation: Firdous Abdelhameed and Mai Shaheen

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)

Legal updates by official Palestinian bodies:

• The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission revealed that the Israeli occupation authorities had issued two new declarations designating 182.81 dunams of land in the towns of Battir, Sa’ir, and Ash-Shuyukh in the Bethlehem and Hebron governorates as “state land,” in a move that strengthens colonial control over Palestinian land. The Commission also revealed that the occupation authorities had published two tenders covering 1,080 settlement units in Jerusalem and its eastern surroundings. (October 19, 2026)
• The Jerusalem Governorate reported that the colonial “Kadisha” association had installed a locked iron gate on the only road leading to part of the Wadi al-Rababaneighbourhood in the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, isolating approximately 700 Jerusalemite residents out of the 1,700 people living in the neighbourhood, as part of a policy aimed at tightening restrictions on Jerusalemite residents and limiting their access to their land and homes. (October 20, 2026)
• The Palestinian Cabinet warned of the serious humanitarian consequences of the decision by several international relief organisations to reduce or suspend their programmes, most recently the World Food Programme’s announcement of the suspension of assistance to approximately half a million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip due to “funding shortages.” It also renewed its call on the United Nations and donor countries to provide the necessary funding to ensure the continuation of aid and to intensify pressure on the occupation authorities to open crossings and secure the flow of humanitarian supplies. (October 20, 2026)
• The Jerusalem Governorate revealed a new settlement plan aimed at constructing 122 housing units for settlers at the site of the historic Shepherd Hotel in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied Jerusalem, covering an area of approximately 5.8 dunams. (October 21, 2026)
• The Governor of Hebroncalled for urgent international and legal intervention to stop the violations in the governorate, where Israeli occupation forces have forced approximately 1,500 residents to evacuate their homes and intend to forcibly displace around 2,500 others. Meanwhile, Hussein Al-Sheikh, Vice President of the State of Palestine,affirmed that the policy of collective punishment against the Palestinian people requires clear international condemnation and serious action by the international community to stop these violations and hold those responsible accountable. (October 24, 2026)

Legal Updates by Official Israeli Bodies:

• The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office called for caution before drawing conclusions regarding reports of an attack by masked Israelis on a European diplomatic delegation in the West Bank. Meanwhile, the Israeli military condemned the violent attack against diplomatic representatives, announcing that police and forensic investigators would enter the area under military protection to collect evidence and statements as part of the ongoing investigation. (October 17, 2026)
• Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrichcalled for a comprehensive military campaign in the West Bank to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, confiscate weapons, and eliminate armed militants, similar to Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. He considered that the expansion of settlements led by the current government had contributed to thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state. (October 23, 2026)
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the imposition of a siege on Hebron and Halhul, confirming that residents of a neighbourhood in Hebron, from which the perpetrators of an armed attack against an Israeli checkpoint had emerged, would be evacuated and that homes would be raided one by one. Israeli Minister Israel Katz also threatened to apply the Jenin refugee camp model in Hebron, stressing that the area from which the attackers had emerged would be evacuated of its residents. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that he had issued orders for the immediate demolition of a large number of Palestinian buildings that he described as illegal. Later, the Israeli Supreme Court issued a temporary order halting the demolitions. (October 23, 2026)
• The Israeli military announced a large-scale military operation in the city of Hebron following the killing of two Israeli soldiers, stating that the operation was “specific and limited to the area from which the attackers originated.” (October 24, 2026)

United Nations Statements and Publications:

• UN experts warned of renewed threats facing Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank as the olive harvest gets underway, including settler violence, intimidation, restrictions on access to agricultural land, and the destruction of olive trees. (October 19, 2026)
• The United Nations World Food Programmeannounced that funding shortages have forced it to reduce food assistance in the Gaza Strip by approximately one-third, depriving around 500,000 people of vital aid. The Programme explained that approximately 67% of the population in the Gaza Strip suffers from acute food insecurity. (October 19, 2026)
• The head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory stated that thousands of Palestinian farmers are unable to reach their olive trees because of severe Israeli movement restrictions, emphasising that these restrictions serve as yet another tool for displacement and dispossession. (October 21, 2026)
• According to Drop Site, citing a seniorPalestinian source involved in the negotiations, the United Nations informed Palestinian officials of its intention to stop receiving Palestinians returning from Egypt and coordinating their entry into Gaza via the Rafah crossing, starting in mid-November, due to the dangers facing returnees and repeated Israeli arrests . (October 22, 2026)
• The UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa warned of the continued killing and injury of children in the Gaza Strip, noting that the number of children killed since the announcement of the ceasefire had risen to 351. UNICEF called on the Israeli authorities to take immediate and decisive action to protect children. (October 22, 2026)
• United Nations Secretary-General AntónioGuterresexpressed deep concern over the closures, reports of house demolitions, and the potential displacement of residents in Hebron. He condemned the escalation of settler attacks, recalling Israel’s obligation, as the occupying power, to protect Palestinians and hold perpetrators accountable. (October 23, 2026)

Legal Updates by Regional and International Bodies:

• The European Union condemned the attacks carried out by “violent settlers” in the West Bank and the targeting of European diplomats. It affirmed that it expects full accountability and effective measures to prevent the continuation of acts of violence and violent harassment against Palestinians. France also strongly condemned an attack by Israeli settlers on the mayor of the French city of Aulnoye-Aymeries in the Palestinian village of Taybeh, which also targeted representatives of diplomatic missions. France called on the Israeli authorities to arrest those responsible for the attack and bring them to justice, and to take all necessary measures to stop acts of terrorism. (October 18, 2026)
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubioexpressed deep distress over scenes of settler violence in the occupied West Bank, emphasising that Washington has repeatedly urged Israel, and continues to urge it, to crack down on such acts. (October 18, 2026)
• The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan (Quadripartite Group/R4) affirmed that the Israeli occupation is the primary source of instability in the region and reiterated their support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. (October 24, 2026)
• The League of Arab States condemned the escalation of crimes committed by the Israeli occupation in the city of Hebron and throughout the occupied West Bank, including threats to evacuate and destroy Palestinian neighbourhoods and the forced displacement of residents. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation also condemned these violations, stressing that systematic demolitions and mass displacement constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. (October 24, 2026)

Publications of Human Rights NGOs:

• 7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media published a research contribution by Sarah Fathallah titled “Captive Voices: Algorithmic Voice Surveillance in Palestine,” examining how Palestinians’ voice communications are intercepted, stored, and algorithmically analyzed as part of the Israeli occupation’s surveillance and control system. (October 18, 2026)
• The organisationIrAmimpublished a report titled “Expulsion: The State Architecture of Dispossession in East Jerusalem,” revealing an integrated system involving six Israeli ministries, the Jerusalem Municipality, and official bodies working to seize Palestinian land and property in East Jerusalem and displace its residents. (October 18, 2026)
• Amnesty International stated that violence committed by Israeli settlers had escalated at the start of the Palestinian olive harvest season in the occupied West Bank. It affirmed that settler attacks are not isolated incidents but rather a central policy of the Israeli state. The organization called on states to impose targeted sanctions on Israeli officials involved in serious violations of international law. (October 19, 2026)
• The Hind Rajab Foundation submitted an urgent request to the U.S. Department of Justice, calling for the immediate investigation, arrest, and prosecution of “Shon Glass,” a commander of the “Vampire Empire” company, who is accused of committing war crimes under the U.S. War Crimes Act. (October 19, 2026)
• The Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC), in an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, called for the immediate activation of the EU Blocking Statute to protect the Court from the consequences of U.S. sanctions imposed against it. The Coalition warned that the sanctions threaten the Court’s independence and its ability to investigate international crimes and hold perpetrators accountable. (October 20, 2026)
• The Italian company ROPES withdrew from the Israeli cable car project linking West Jerusalem to occupied East Jerusalem, which threatens the land and property rights of dozens of Palestinian families along its route. The company stated that its decision was due to other commitments in India. (October 21, 2026)
• The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem condemned the attack carried out by masked settlers on October 17 against residents of the town of Taybeh during the olive harvest season. The organisation Churches for Middle East Peace endorsed the statement. (October 21, 2026)
• The Palestinian NGOs Network warned of the seriousness of the continued escalation of attacks and violations against the Palestinian people, amid the ongoing absence of effective international measures to ensure protection and accountability. (October 22, 2026)
• Al-Haq published a position paper titled “One Year After ICJ UNRWA Advisory Opinion, Israel Escalates Destruction of UNRWA to Force Palestinian Displacement”. (October 22, 2026)
• The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society documented approximately 70 arrests in less than 48 hours across various governorates of the West Bank, affirming that these practices fall within a policy of collective retaliation, as part of the existing apartheid system and an extension of the ongoing crime of genocide in Gaza. (October 24, 2026)

Opinion Pieces and Features:

• Mondoweisspublished an opinion article by Ricardo Esteves Ribeiro, titled: “I’m a Journalist. Israel Detained Me for Documenting the Olive Harvest in the West Bank.” (October 18, 2026)
• The Palestinian Forum for Israeli Studies – (Madar Center) published an article by Antoine Shalhat, titled:“How Do Israeli Opposition Parties United Under the ‘Change Camp’ Envision the Future of the West Bank and Gaza Strip?”. (October 19, 2026)
• The Palestinian Forum for Israeli Studies – (Madar Center) published an article by WalidHabbas, titled:“Is the 2026 Olive Harvest Season the Last? Five Observations Under the Heading ‘How Does Israel Think?’” (October 19, 2026)
• Arab News published an opinion article by Osama Al-Sharif, titled: “Israel’s War on Olive Trees an Attack on Palestinian Survival.” (October 20, 2026)
• The New Humanitarian published an opinion piece by Eric Reidy, titled: “The Board of Peace trap: Gaza’s future must be more than a choice between two bad options”. (October 21, 2026)
• Global Voices published an article by Jalal Abukhater, titled: “Palestine is already living under the Big Tech authoritarianism the world is being sold”. (October 21, 2026)
• Mondoweisspublished an opinion piece by Tariq Ra’ouf, titled: “We beat the Trump administration in court. Now we’re going to the ICC to hold the U.S. accountable for the Gaza genocide”.(October 22, 2026)
• This Week in Palestinepublished an article by Lex Takkenberg, titled: “Networking in a Time of Genocide.” (October 2026)

Legal Achievements/Impacts for Palestine:

• Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, based in the United States filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to review his case, challenging an appeals court ruling that prevented federal courts from reviewing the constitutionality of his detention under immigration laws before the completion of deportation proceedings. The Center for Constitutional Rights warned that this interpretation could allow the immigration system to be used to punish constitutionally protected expression and deter activists. (October 19, 2026)
• The Hind Rajab Foundation, the International Federation for Human Rights, and the European Legal Support Center appealed against the Warsaw Public Prosecutor’s Office’s decision to close the criminal complaint filed against officials of the Polish company “Nitro-Chem,” one of the largest producers of the explosive material TNT, over their suspected involvement in acts of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Gaza. (October 19, 2026)
• Six concerned Canadian citizens, in cooperation with the Global Echo Litigation Center and the Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR), submitted a complaint to the Canadian Competition Bureau, calling for an investigation into the marketing of properties in Israeli settlements at real estate exhibitions in Canada. (October 21, 2026)
• The Istanbul 11th High Criminal Court began the trial of 35 Israelis, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in connection with the attack on the “Global Sumud Flotilla,” which was carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in October 2025. (October 23, 2026)