PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE –Issue.161

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

29 Jan. – 4 Feb. 2023

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

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

Translation: Sabrin Alsheikh Ahmed and Ahmad Staitia
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 Ministry of Foreign Affairs (PFM) emphasized that the Israeli government’s protection, support, and encouragement of illegal settlements encourages Jewish terrorists to commit violations and crimes against Palestinians. The PFM also urged the international community to designate extremist settler organizations as terrorist organizations. (January 29, 2023). For further details, click here
• The PFM said that Israeli Cabinet resolutions promote collective racial punishment and encourage further escalation and violence. (January 29, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Jerusalem Governorate has appealed to the international community to promptly intervene to put an end to the daily demolitions and displacements of civilians in the occupied city of Jerusalem.(January 30, 2023). For further details, click here
• The PFM condemned the occupation’s racist legislation that denies Palestinian inmates citizenship or residence.(January 31, 2023). For further details, click here
• The PFM condemned the extremist settlers in Jerusalem who stormed the Church of the Flagellation in Al-Quds and destroyed its contents. The Ministry further called on the international community to provide international protection for the Palestinian people and the city of Jerusalem in particular (February 2, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Commission of Detainees Affairs said the Israeli Prison Service is fully responsible for the life of detainee Yasmine Shaaban, who has been forced into inhumane living conditions after being transferred into solitary confinement. (February 3, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Palestinian Cabinet condemned the Israeli government’s unfair duplication of the deducted amount of the taxes, which rose from $14.9 Million to $29.8 Million this month. (February 3, 2023). For more information, click here.

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

• Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli says the Palestinian Authority is a “neo-Nazi entity” and that alternatives to it should be examined. He added, “I think that the Palestinian Authority, is an enemy entity, an entity that is antisemitic to its core, and we need to examine alternatives to the Palestinian Authority.” (January 29, 2023). For further details, click here
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a cabinet meeting that the government is working to expand and accelerate the licensing of weapons to thousands of Israeli citizens and settlers following back-to-back shooting attacks in Jerusalem. (January 29, 2023). For further details, click here
• Israel’s Parliament voted in favor of a bill that would rescind the citizenship or residency permit of any terrorist who receives financial reward from the Palestinian Authority. The bill, which was put forward by members of the governing coalition and the opposition, was passed in its first reading by a vote of 89 Knesset members in favor and just eight against. (January 31, 2023). For further details, click here
• Chad’s president visits Israel to reopen their embassy that was closed due to severed relations in 1972. (February 2, 2023). For more information, click here.

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

• The Conference of the Federation of Councils of Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) reaffirmed its support for Palestine’s UN bid for recognition of full statehood. (January 30, 2023). For further details, click here
• Tony Blinken, US Secretary of State, urged Palestinians and Israelis to take immediate actions to restore calm and de-escalate tensions during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Blinken stated that “anything that moves us away from the vision of two states is, in our judgment, detrimental to Israel’s long-term security and its long-term identity as a Jewish and democratic state,” while defending the historic status quo at Jerusalem’s holy places. (January 30, 2023). For further details, click here
• Following the Labour Party leader’s spokesman calling on the labor MP to withdraw them, the MP apologised for describing the Israeli government as “fascist” and an “apartheid state” in the British House of Commons (February 1, 2023). For further details, click here
• The UN Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories calls on the EU to review the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism (February 2, 2023). For further details, click here
• The European Union announced their 2022 financial assistance package to the Palestinian people. This package of €199.2 million will support the Palestinian Authority’s expenditures in a number of areas as well as some EU-funded projects in East Jerusalem. (February 2, 2023). For further details, click here
• The United States urged Israel to keep friction with Palestinians in check ahead of Ramadan. (February 3, 2023). For further details, click here
• The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stated, “I fear that recent measures being taken by the Government of Israel are only fuelling further violations and abuses of human rights law and violations of international humanitarian law.” (February 3, 2023). For further details, click here.

Publications of human rights NGOs

• Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights called on the international community to intervene and encourage the reunification of the separated Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. (January 29, 2023). For further details, click here
• Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel sent an urgent letter to Israel’s Attorney General and National Security Minister demanding that they put an immediate stop to home demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem. (January 30, 2023). For further details, click here
• Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel filed an objection to the Jerusalem District Planning Committee, the United States Ambassador to Israel, and the U.S. Secretary of State against the plan to build the US embassy in Jerusalem on illegally confiscated Palestinian land. (January 30, 2023). For further details, click here
• The General Union of Palestinian Women condemned the repression of female inmates in Damon jail and called the Israeli occupation authorities to bear responsibility for the lives of women detainees and prisoners in prisons.(January 31, 2023).For further details, click here
• European Jews for Just Peace (EJJP) issued an open letter to the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, condemning him for linking Amnesty International’s report concerning Israeli apartheid to antisemitism. The letter states that the IHRA definition is causing confusion and is instrumentalized by pro-Israeli groups to silence legitimate critics of Israel. (January 31, 2023). For further details, click here
• Amnesty International stressed that Israeli authorities must dismantle the system of apartheid, which is causing massive suffering and bloodshed, and constitute crimes against humanity. (February 1, 2023). For further details, click here
• CodePink sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, stating that the U.S. must rescind its support for Israel and put pressure on its government to stop violating Palestinian human rights. The organization also said that the Biden administration must also stop its normalization efforts between Israel and Arab countries. (February 1, 2023). For further details, click here
• An investigation by Electronic Intifada reveals that the British authorities are spying on Palestinian refugees (February 1, 2023). For further details, click here
• Human Rights Watch said today that Israeli authorities’ actions sealing the family homes of two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank suspected of attacks against Israelis amount to collective punishment and a war crime (February 2, 2023). For further details, click here
• Al-Haq, alongside a group of human rights organizations, submitted a joint report to the UN Commission of Inquiry highlighting Israel’s policies that move toward their ultimate goal of entrenching their settler-colonial apartheid regime over the Palestinian people. (February 3, 2023). For further details, click here

Opinion Pieces and features

• Ata Hindi published a study on Opinio Juris titled The United Nations General Assembly Request to the International Court of Justice for an Advisory Opinion: (Some) Reflections. For further details, click here
• Researcher Lex Takkenberg published an article entitled “Israel’s New Government Requires Changes in UN Strategy to the Palestinian Crisis”. For further details, click here

 Human rights conferences and events

• The BDS movement said that a group of BDS activists is protesting in front of Carrefour shops to put pressure on the company to end its complicity with the Israeli regime of settler-colonialism and apartheid. (February 2, 2023). For further details, click here