PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE –Issue.158

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

8-14 January 2023

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

Prepared by: Razwan Issa, Nour Kharouf, Nermin Allawh, Sophia Alisaa

Translation: Ferdous Abdul Hamid and Sabrin Alsheikh Ahmed
Editing: Rachel Marandett

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 Volume of Palestine’s Legal Scene, please click here (3 minutes read)

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

• The Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs (PFM) stated that his office is considering legal and political options to respond to the Israeli occupation government’s actions in light of Palestine’s application to the International Court of Justice. (January 8, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs published its 2022 annual report on Israeli violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Abrahimi Mosque, and other places of worship in occupied Palestinian territory. (January 9, 2023). For further details, click here
• The PFM condemned the Israeli Knesset’s ratification of the “Apartheid” law, which Israel passed in 1967. (January 10, 2023). For further details, click here
• The PFM condemned Israel’s ongoing war on Palestine and called into question the credibility of countries claiming to support the two-state solution. (January 10, 2023). For further details, click here
• The PFM warned against the consequences of the Israeli policy of demolishing Palestinian homes and buildings. It also condemned the Knesset ‘s approval of the preliminary reading, which addresses the withdrawal of citizenship and resident status from Palestinian detainees. The PFM therefore called for immediate international and American action to help halt the occupation’s discriminatory resolutions and illegal unilateral measures. (January 11, 2023). For further details, click here
• The High Presidential Committee for Church Affairs condemned settlers’ written statements calling for “revenge and death for Arabs, Armenians, and Christians” on the walls of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. (January 12, 2023). For further details, click here
• The PFM condemned the executions of Samir Aslan and Sanad Al Samara, who was killed while chasing sheep on his family’s land in Al Shuweik. The office called for rapid conclusion of the investigations before the International Criminal Court. (January 12, 2023). For further details, click here

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

• National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, decided to investigate the celebrations that took place in Ara following the release of Palestinian prisoner Karim Younis. Gvir also decided to remove Palestinian flags, calling them “supportive of terrorism” after issuing directives to prevent such celebrations. (January 9, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Israeli House Committee, chaired by MK Ofir Katz (Likud), endorsed the acceleration of the legislative process to adopt a bill for revoking the citizenship or residency status of a terrorist operative receiving compensation for committing an act of terrorism. (January 9, 2023). For further details, click here
• Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich signed a decree on Sunday to block NIS 139 million ($39.6 million) in tax revenue from the Palestinian Authority and redirect it to families of terror victims as part of punitive measures against the PA’s international legal action against Israel. (January 9, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Knesset passed the first reading of a bill to extend the “emergency regulations” for settlers living in the occupied West Bank. (January 10, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Knesset approved the preliminary reading of draft laws that would strip Israeli citizenship or resident status from Palestinian detainees since they receive funds from the Palestinian Authority. (January 11, 2023). For further details, click here
• A Likud MK informed the US ambassador to Israel that the new Israeli government plans to expand settlements in the West Bank despite the Biden administration’s objections. (January 12, 2023). For further details, click here

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

• The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the ongoing Israeli violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It called for sanctioning the extremist Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, for attacking the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. (January 11, 2023). For further details, click here
• The United States warned that the Israeli sanctions on the Palestinian Ministry would worsen tensions. (January 10, 2023). For further details, click here
• The European Union called on the Israeli government to pay reparations for the demolition of European-funded Palestinian structures in the West Bank under the pretext of unlicensed construction. (January 11, 2023). For further details, click here
• Brazil’s current leftist government removed the Ambassador of Brazil to Israel from his post. This removal might indicate a shift in policy toward Israel. (January 11, 2023). For further details, click here
• The UN Secretary-General says that “there is no plan B, that to reject the possibility of a two-state solution is something that would undermine forever the possibilities of peace in the Middle East, stresses the need to maintain the status quo for the holy sites in Jerusalem and condemns acts of terrorism”. (January 12, 2023). For further details, click here

Publications of human rights NGOs

• PEN America expressed dismay over Harvard’s revocation of a fellowship to former Human Rights Watch Executive Director Ken Roth. The rescinded the offer reportedly due to Roth’s criticisms of Israel’s human rights record. The ACLU also commented that this is profoundly troubling from both a human rights and an academic freedom standpoint. (January 6, 2023). For further details, click here
• Amnesty International said, “Israel’s decision by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gafir to prohibit/prevent the raising and waving of the Palestinian flag inside the territories of 1948 is a cowardly and foreseeable attempt to blur the identity of a people and is contrary to UN and human rights instruments”.(January 11, 2023). For further details, click here
• In response to Israel’s investigation of members of Neturei Karta who visited Jenin, Dovid Feldman, spokesman for Neturei Karta, stated that the Israeli Government was hostile towards Haredi Jews in the Holy Land, which demonstrates that “we do not need the State of Israel”.(January 11, 2023). For further details, click here / here
• Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights condemned the new Israeli decisions retaliating against the Palestinian Authority and people for Palestine’s appeal to the International Court of Justice. It also warned of the dangerous escalation of the Israeli government abusing the rights of Palestinian detainees in its prisons. (January 10, 2023). For further details, click here
• Adalah- The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel issued a position paper on the guiding principles and coalition agreements intended to deepen Jewish supremacy and racial segregation as the underlying principles of the Israeli regime. The Center explained that these governmental initiatives and policies necessitate urgent intervention by international bodies, including the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, as well as the reconstitution of the UN Special Committee against Apartheid. (January 10, 2023). For further details, click here
• The BDS movement called for a boycott of the “Carrefour” group. They are campaigning for the company to withdraw its investments and agreement with two Israeli companies involved in crimes against the Palestinian people and stop selling all products from Israeli settlements. (January 12, 2023). For further details, click here

Academic research and studies

• Palestinian Researcher Successfully Defended his Master’s Thesis on the Right of Self-Defense in the Case of Prolonged Occupation. For further details, click here

Human rights conferences and events

• Harvard Kennedy School Palestinian Alumni called for the resignation of the school’s Dean after he revoked a fellowship from former Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth over criticism of Israel. (January 10, 2023).For further details, click here