PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE –Issue.191

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

27 Aug. – 2 Sep. 2023

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

Prepared by: Razwan Issa, Nour Kharouf, Joman Al Khateeb

Translation: Ferdous Abdul Hamid and Sabrin Alsheikh Ahmed
Editing: Ihsan Adel

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 Jerusalem Governorate expresses concern over a new Israeli policy aimed at obstructing Palestinian students’ access to their universities, as two female students were denied access to their universities by the occupying authorities. The governorate labels this decision as “discriminatory” and calls upon the international community, particularly UNESCO, to exert pressure on Israel to reverse this move. (August 27, 2023). For further details, click here
• On the National Day for Retrieving the Bodies of Detained Martyrs, a spokesperson for the Jerusalem Governorate confirms that the “Zionist occupation” has retained the remains of 24 Jerusalemite martyrs in refrigeration and numbered graves since 1968. He urges peace-promoting organizations and nations to press the occupation for the release of these remains, allowing their families to provide them with dignified burials. (August 27, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Commission of Detainees Affairs highlights the dire living conditions of 22 detainees in Huwara Detention Center. These individuals endure harsh and miserable conditions, isolated from even the most basic human necessities. The Commission calls on human rights organizations and the International Red Cross to visit these detainees. (August 28, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns attempts by settlers to extend an electricity network to a settlement outpost situated on the lands of Qusra, south of Nablus. This move is part of an effort to complete infrastructure for two unauthorized outposts on the town’s land.(August 28, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN emphasizes that the case before the International Court of Justice will unveil Israel’s long-standing illegal policies. (August 30, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Palestinian MOFAE said that the ongoing surge in violent incidents is being employed by the Israeli government as a means to sidestep any negotiation initiatives and evade its responsibilities to achieve peace (August 31, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Ministry of Education and Higher Education condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ seizure of Palestinian curriculum textbooks and the arrest of the vehicle driver transporting these textbooks, as well as one of a school staff members. It called on the international community to intervene immediately to stop these violations and protect children’s right to education. (August 31, 2023). For further details, click here

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

• The head of the Israeli Defense Force’s West Bank division slammes recent attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. He denounces that this is “unethical, un-Jewish, it does not contribute to security and last week showed it is also dangerous” (August 27, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Israeli government decides to allocate new lands to the Mevo’ot Jericho and Amichai settlements through the Settlement Division, despite the legal challenges and criticisms associated with this move. (August 27, 2023), For further details, click here
• The Israeli Supreme Court approved the punitive demolition of the family home of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy who has spent the past six months in pre-trial detention on unfair charges, according to Amnesty International. (August 28, 2023). For further details, click here
• The head of the Israeli Shin Bet expresses concern about legislation by Itamar Ben-Gvir, which suspends the administrative release of (Palestinian) security prisoners. He warns that this could lead to prison overcrowding and would greatly hinder forces from making serious arrests in the occupied West Bank. (August 31, 2023). For further details, click here
• The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied news circulating about National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir imposing new restrictions on visits to Palestinian prisoners’ families in Israeli prisons. (September 1, 2023). For further details, click here

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

• The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People convenes a meeting to discuss the legality of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. The Committee reviews expert opinions, especially regarding the expected advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice. (Aug 30, 2023). For further details, click here
• Seven Socialist MPs in the Swedish Parliament have accused the current Swedish government of changing Sweden’s policy and leaning towards Israel. They also added “just as as we call for Russia to withdraw from occupied territories, we should demand the same from Israel”. (September 1, 2023). For further details, click here
• The International Committee of the Red Cross urges Israeli not to infringe on Palestinian prisoners’ rights and respect relevant international humanitarian law obligations, including their right to communicate with their families. (September 2, 2023). For further details, click here
• Belgian Development Cooperation Minister Caroline Gennez spoke in an interview with a local newspaper about the killing of Palestinian children, erasing entire villages from the map, and destroying EU-funded schools and neighborhoods. The Israeli Foreign Ministry had complained about Gennez’s comments. (September 2, 2023). For further details, click here

Publications of human rights NGOs

• The Palestinian Return Center issues a press statement confirming the commitment of the Iraqi Embassy in London to protect the rights of Palestinian refugees, including those sheltered in the Baharka camp in Erbil. The embassy denies any intention by Iraq to close the camp or relocate the refugees. (Aug 28, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Palestinian Center for Human Rights condemns the Israeli Navy’s detention of five Palestinian fishermen while they were sailing off the coast of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza. Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights also demands the immediate release of the five fishermen and the return of their confiscated fishing boats.
• Human Rights Watch releases a report highlighting the increase in Israeli killings of Palestinian children without accountability. The report stresses the urgent need for international intervention to halt these violations, ensure accountability for Israel, and protect the rights of children. (Aug 28, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Palestinian Prisoners Club reports that Israeli occupation forces have arrested around 200 individuals during the past week from various West Bank cities. This brings the total number of arrests since the beginning of the year to over 5,000, with administrative detention cases on the rise. (Aug 29, 2023). For further details, click here
• Three human rights organizations, namely ‘Adalah,’ ‘Al-Mezan,’ and the ‘Association for Civil Rights,’ submit a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court against a new law excluding individuals classified by the Israeli Prison Service as ‘security prisoners’ from eligibility for early release on administrative grounds. (Aug 31, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect states that the population in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory endure recurring war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the crime of apartheid. Israel should lift the blockade on Gaza, cease unlawful settlement activities and apartheid policies, and end the occupation, with the international community imposing accountability measures. (August 31, 2023) For further details, click here
• The “Thinc: Israel and International Law” Center says that there are many actors on the international stage that aim to either destroy or hurt the Jewish State of Israel. It publishes an update on “recent developments in the ‘lawfare’ against Israel.” (August 31, 2023) For further details, click here
• The English Al Jazeera publishes a report revealing the monitoring of Palestinian immigrants in Germany and their demand for loyalty to Israel or facing the loss of their jobs and deportation, indicating an escalation of repression against them. (September 1, 2023). For further details, click here

Opinion Pieces and features

• Khaled Elgindy and Nada Elia Khalid publishes an article on the Palestinian Policy Network – Al-Shabaka titled “Sanctioning Israel: Feasibility and Ethical Considerations”. (August 28, 2023). To read the article, click here
• Researcher Ahmed Alqarout publishes an article on Al Jazeera English titled “Is BRICS really the lifeline Palestine needs?” (August 28, 2023). To read the article, click here
• The Arab Center Washington DC publishes an article by Dana El Kurd titled “Assessing the Abraham Accords, Three Years On”. (31 August 2023). To read the article, click here
• Oren Ziv publishes an article in +972 Magazine titled “‘It’s like 1948’: Israel cleanses vast West Bank region of nearly all Palestinians”. (August 31, 2023). To read the article, click here
• Hagai El-Ad publishes an article in Haaretz titled “The True Architects and Implementers of Israel’s Regime of Jewish Supremacy.” (September 2, 2023). To read the article, click here

Research and academic studies (in Arabic and English):

• The United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People   has released a comprehensive study on the legality of the Israeli occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. The study, prepared by the Irish Human Rights Centre at the National University of Ireland, concludes that the Israeli occupation of Palestine is in violation of international law and underscores the urgency of its immediate cessation. (August 30, 2023). For further details, click here
• Researchers Rawan Asali Nuseibeh, Aviv Cohen and Zvi Bekerman published an article in The High Educ titled “Alone together: experiences of Palestinian East Jerusalem students studying at an Israeli university”. (August 30, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Institute for Palestine Studies publishes a special issue focusing on the UNRWA archive, including several legal, political, and historical articles. (August 2023) For further details, click here

Human rights conferences and events

• In an interview with CIVICUS, the Global Alliance for Citizen Participation and Activists, Susan Power, Director of the Legal Research and International Advocacy at Al-Haq: “People have lost confidence in an international system that fails to protect the powerless against the powerful’. (September 1, 2023) For further details, click here

Upcoming human rights opportunities and events

• The Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Resource Center is set to host a training course designed for members of the diplomatic corps. This course will focus on International Humanitarian Law within the context of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. (Aug 29, 2023). For further details, click here
• Management Systems International announced a job opportunity for the position of “Criminal Forensic Advisor” in a project supporting the justice sector in the West Bank, funded by the National Security Office and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Interested individuals can apply until October 31, 2023. (August 30, 2023). For further details, click here
• The Middle East Institute announces the organization of a conference both online and in Washington on September 27 and 28, titled “Oslo at 30: Legacies, Hard Realities and Alternatives for Israel-Palestine.” (August 31, 2023). For further details, click here