PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE – Issue. 282

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

25 – 31 May 2025

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

Prepared by: Razwan Issa, Nour Kharouf, Arwa Abdel Moniam, Kamal Abdulkarim, Murad Abu Murad

Translation: Asmaa Louzon 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)

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

• The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC) reported that the Israeli occupation has begun constructing a new and dangerous colonial road west of Ramallah. The road is designed to facilitate settler movement and connect settlements, undermining Palestinian villages and infringing on citizens’ rights to freedom of movement and territorial expansion. (26 May 2025)
• The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for urgent international and particularly U.S. intervention to halt the genocide, displacement, and annexation by Israeli occupation forces and organized settler militias. The Ministry warned that occupation authorities are deliberately spreading misleading and false narratives to justify the ongoing aggression. (27 May 2025)
• The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs reported that minor prisoners held in Megiddo Prison continue to face retaliatory measures by the prison administration. These include an escalation in violent raids on their sections, inadequate and insufficient food, and a total absence of basic humanitarian conditions and essential hygiene supplies. (27 May 2025)

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

• In direct conversations with his British and French counterparts and other diplomats, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar threatened that if countries proceed with recognizing a Palestinian state without negotiations, Israel may respond by applying sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria. This could include extending Israeli law to Israeli communities in those areas, and potentially to parts of the Jordan Valley and other territories. (25 May 2025)
• Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced new evacuation orders for residents of Khan Younis Governorate. Additional orders were issued for the areas of Atatra, Jabalia al-Balad, Shuja’iyya, Al-Daraj, and Al-Zaytoun in Gaza City, warning that these areas are now considered dangerous combat zones. He urged residents of these areas to evacuate immediately toward the west. (26 May 2025)
• Israeli Minister of Housing and Construction Yitzhak Goldknopf, along with Minister of Settlement Orit Strook, announced the government’s approval for the establishment of two new settlements in the Upper and Lower Galilee. Goldknopf described the move as a strategic step to strengthen security, civil authority, and community control over northern occupied Palestine. He also signed an agreement to expand the “Jadeidi-Makr” settlement to include the construction and planning of approximately 6,300 new settlement units, which will triple its current size. (26–27 May 2025)
• The Israeli army announced that two of four recently established aid distribution sites in the Gaza Strip began operations today, delivering food packages to thousands of Palestinian families. It clarified that the aid sites are being operated by a private American security company, while the IDF provides security in the surrounding areas. (May 27, 2025)
• Israel has decided to deport four released Palestinian prisoners who hold Israeli citizenship, citing their receipt of salaries from the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli Minister of Defense announced the initiation of procedures to “deport four Israeli citizens convicted of terrorism,” based on a law passed in February 2023. This law grants the Interior Minister the authority to revoke the legal status of anyone convicted of a terrorist act, sentenced to prison, or who has received financial compensation from the Palestinian Authority. He stated that the process of revoking their citizenship has begun. (May 28, 2025)
• The Israeli government approved the establishment of 22 new settlements in the West Bank. The plan includes the creation of new settlement communities, the legalization of several wildcat outposts, and the resettlement of the Homesh and Sa-Nur settlements, which were evacuated in 2005. Additionally, four new settlements are planned near the border with Jordan. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called it a “historic decision,” claiming it would strengthen Israel’s hold on Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). He said that settlement expansion affirms their “historic right in the Land of Israel” and is a “crushing answer to Palestinian terror.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich added that the next step would be “sovereignty,” referring to the annexation of the West Bank. (29 May 2025)

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

• The Prime Minister of Malta, Robert Abela, announced that his country will formally recognise Palestine as a state, with the official declaration expected to take place at the upcoming United Nations conference on June 20. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Ian Borg on Saturday hinted at the possibility of Malta and a group of other countries jointly recognising Palestine during the conference, affirming that a unified stand by multiple countries would be more effective than unilateral action. (May 24–25, 2025)
• Cuban President Miguel Díaz expressed deep sorrow over the suffering of the Palestinian people, referring to the image of the Palestinian doctor who lost nine of her ten children. He stated: “Those who turn a blind eye will one day remember with regret. There are murdered children and mothers living through the worst kind of hell,” and asked, “How much longer will the perpetrators continue this genocide against the Palestinian people?” The president stressed the urgent need for international action to put an end to these crimes. (May 25, 2025)
• Members of the ministerial committee assigned by the Extraordinary Joint Arab-Islamic Summit on developments in the Gaza Strip emphasized, during an expanded meeting with the Madrid Group and several European countries, the importance of joint cooperation to ensure the success of the high-level international conference scheduled for next June, aimed at achieving a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and implementing the two-state solution. The committee members underscored the need to implement the two-state solution based on relevant international resolutions, affirming the Palestinian people’s inherent right to establish an independent state along the June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital. (May 25, 2025)
• The foreign ministries of Jordan, Qatar, and Turkey, along with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab Parliament, condemned the storming of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Extremist Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Israeli occupation government, accompanied by a group of extremist settlers. They emphasized that such actions do not change the fact that East Jerusalem is an occupied city over which Israel holds no sovereignty. (May 25–26, 2025)
• A joint geospatial assessment by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) revealed that agricultural infrastructure in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate at an alarming rate. Available agricultural land now accounts for less than five percent, while over 80% of farmland has been damaged, leading to the collapse of the agri-food system and an escalating risk of famine, as local food production comes to a complete halt. (May 26, 2025)
• Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stated, during his meeting with his Norwegian counterpart Espen Barth Eide, that Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon constitutes a war crime. Eide, for his part, affirmed that Norway is working to encourage other European countries to recognize the State of Palestine, stressing that the current situation is unbearable and must end immediately. (May 26, 2025)
• According to Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur, a group of Italian lawyers is taking legal action against the Italian government for its ongoing collaboration with Israel, including providing legal defense. Albanese noted that this cooperation violates international law and the Italian Constitution, stressing the need to suspend the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Italy and Israel. (May 26, 2025)
• Members of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the German parliament called on the federal government to stop German arms exports to Israel, in light of possible war crimes being committed in Gaza. (May 26, 2025)
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, stating that they can no longer be justified and no longer reflect any discernible logic. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed shock at the Israeli campaign, which he said is depriving Gaza’s residents of food and medicine. He added that Berlin would soon discuss necessary steps to address what he called an unbearable situation. (27 May 2025)
• UNRWA reported that 250,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have reached Phase 5 of food insecurity, the most severe level, marked by extreme hunger and a lack of even the most basic nutritional necessities. The agency also warned that nearly 950,000 people are at grave risk, falling within Phases 4 and 5 of food insecurity, placing them in imminent danger of famine. (27 May 2025)
• The Irish Cabinet has approved the drafting of legislation that would ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, in line with international law. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris described the humanitarian disaster in Gaza as intolerable and stressed the urgent need for global action to secure a ceasefire. “In many ways, this is a small measure,” he said, but it is imperative that all countries do everything they can to maximize pressure and create the conditions necessary for a ceasefire. (27 May 2025)
• The International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed deep alarm over the escalating humanitarian crisis caused by the renewed Israeli military offensive across the Gaza Strip, which has forcibly displaced nearly 180,000 people in just ten days. The offensive has included direct attacks on displacement sites, such as camps and schools being used as shelters. The organization estimated that 80% of Gaza is under displacement orders or designated as “no-go” zones, affirming that nowhere in Gaza can be considered safe. It also criticized the severe Israeli restrictions on the entry and distribution of aid, warning that alternative arrangements threaten humanitarian principles and worsen the suffering of civilians. (27 May 2025)
• UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the images emerging from distribution points set up by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation were heart-breaking, stressing that the UN and its partners have a detailed, principled, and operationally sound plan, supported by Member States, to deliver aid to a desperate population. He emphasized that a meaningful scale-up of humanitarian operations is essential to stave off famine. In response to allegations that Hamas is diverting aid, he said that halting assistance based on unsubstantiated accusations only increases the suffering of the people of Gaza. (27 May 2025)
• British MP Richard Burgon said that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians, stressing that stopping these crimes can only be achieved through widespread sanctions by Western governments. This includes ending all arms sales, imposing economic sanctions, banning goods from Israeli settlements, and freezing the assets of all those responsible. (27 May 2025)
• UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini confirmed that he had written a letter to the Israeli Foreign Minister regarding ongoing and unsubstantiated claims made by the Israeli government against UNRWA and its neutrality. He noted that these claims have put the lives of UNRWA staff at serious risk and harmed the agency’s reputation. He explained that the agency has repeatedly requested information and evidence from the Government of Israel but has received no response, nor has Israel provided sufficient evidence to support these very serious claims against the agency and its personnel. (27 May 2025)
• In a joint statement, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and Norway renewed their international commitment to implementing the two-state solution. The countries stated that recognizing Palestine is a step toward this goal, calling on the international community to take necessary actions, including individual recognition of both Palestine and Israel, and supporting Palestine’s membership in the United Nations. (28 May 2025)
• UNRWA revealed horrific details regarding the killing of one of its staff members, who went missing on March 23 after leaving his home in Rafah wearing a UN vest and driving a vehicle clearly marked with its logo. UNRWA described the incident as a “summary execution”, stressing that its humanitarian teams “are not a target”. (May 28, 2025)
• The High Representative of the European Union, Kaja Kallas, affirmed that the Israeli military operation in Gaza, the disproportionate use of force, the killing of civilians, and the targeting of civilian infrastructure cannot be tolerated. She called for a return to a ceasefire and emphasized the need to avoid the politicization or militarization of humanitarian aid. She also condemned ongoing settler violence in the occupied West Bank, including intimidation campaigns, assaults, destruction of property, and the displacement of Palestinian communities, calling on Israel to take immediate steps to ensure accountability. (28 May 2025)
• Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory, stated that the newly developed aid distribution scheme, drawn up by a US-backed entity in Gaza, goes beyond the control of humanitarian aid. He said it perpetuates deliberate destitution and legitimizes a policy of intentional deprivation, in clear violation of humanitarian principles and international law. (28 May 2025)
• The Chilean government announced that its embassy in Israel had informed Israeli authorities of the withdrawal of its military, defense, and air attachés from the mission in Tel Aviv. The decision was made in response to the extremely serious humanitarian situation faced by the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, which it attributed to the disproportionate and indiscriminate Israeli military operation, as well as ongoing obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid. The Chilean government called on Israel to cease its military operations in the occupied Palestinian territories and to allow the entry of aid. (28 May 2025)
• Current and former International Criminal Court officials have revealed that Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan was preparing to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for their roles in expanding settlements in the West Bank, before taking a leave of absence amid investigations against him. According to The Wall Street Journal, his deputies are now weighing whether to proceed with the cases, though some officials and legal experts remain skeptical that the court will move forward without the chief prosecutor in office. (28 May 2025)
• UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Sigrid Kaag, told the Security Council that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is essential for achieving sustainable peace, and that the two-state solution is currently on life support. She emphasized that reviving it will require collective action. Kaag also highlighted the upcoming international conference in June as a critical opportunity to end the occupation and realize a two-state solution, with the West Bank and Gaza united and Jerusalem serving as the capital of both states. (28 May 2025)
• The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates strongly condemned Israel’s decision, as the occupying power, to approve the construction of 22 new settlements in the West Bank. The ministry described the move as a blatant violation of international law, a clear affront to the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and a breach of UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334, as well as the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice. It called on the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities. (29 May 2025)
• The Humanitarian Country Team in the occupied Palestinian territory stated that the humanitarian situation in Gaza, after 600 days of escalation, is now worse than ever. The team emphasized that Israel has clear obligations under international humanitarian law, including respecting the dignity of civilians, facilitating the delivery of aid, and refraining from forced displacement. It also rejected the newly imposed military system for aid distribution, asserting that it is inconsistent with humanitarian principles and puts civilians at risk. (28 May 2025)
• The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, warned that Israel is feigning support for humanitarian solutions in order to maintain its control over the Gaza Strip and systematically deprive it of life-saving aid. She stated that this strategy aims to divert international attention from legal accountability and to undermine the core principles of humanitarian law. Albanese called on the United Nations and member states to establish an independent protection mechanism that Israel cannot suspend, as it does not hold sovereignty over the occupied territories. (30 May 2025)
• French President Emmanuel Macron affirmed his intention to adopt a tougher collective stance against Israel and to implement sanctions if the humanitarian blockade on the Gaza Strip continues. He also emphasized the need to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Macron stated that recognizing the State of Palestine under specific conditions is both a moral obligation and a political necessity. (30 May 2025)
• The Bureau of the UN Palestinian Rights Committee expresses grave concern over the escalating casualties, worsening humanitarian emergency, as the Israeli military attacks on Gaza enter its 600th day. UN Secretary-General António Guterres described it as the cruelest phase of the conflict, the situation has left Palestinian civilians enduring unbearable suffering. The statement also firmly opposes the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which it described as an attempt to circumvent UNRWA and undermine humanitarian principles. (May 30, 2025)

Publications of human rights NGOs

• Save the Children organization reiterated that it will not engage with any system of aid delivery in Gaza that fails to uphold humanitarian principles. It called on the Government of Israel and the international community to adhere to humanitarian guidelines and international humanitarian law to ensure the delivery of urgent relief to the residents of Gaza. (May 25, 2025)
• Save the Children UK stated that 54 Palestinians, including children, were killed overnight, most of them in a school that was sheltering displaced families. The organization emphasized that schools must always be protected and that attacks on them should never be normalized. While it welcomed the UK government’s increased measures against the Israeli government, it expressed concern over the continued supply of weapons, including components for F-35 fighter jets used in targeting civilians. The organization stressed that every bomb dropped and every child buried under the rubble adds to the moral responsibility borne by the United Kingdom. (27 May 2025)
• The head of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), Jake Wood, announced his resignation, expressing concern over the inability of the operation to fulfill its mission in a manner consistent with “humanitarian principles.” (May 26, 2025)
• Jewish Voice for Peace Organization said that the so-called “aid” operation in Gaza, overseen by the US and Israeli governments and administered by military contractors, is merely a front for concentration/prison camp-like practices. (May 27, 2025)
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) stated that Israeli forces continue to systematically use last-minute displacement orders as a violent tool, turning the Gaza Strip into hell on earth for Palestinians. These actions, MSF said, are part of a devastating campaign of ethnic cleansing by Israeli forces and authorities, targeting all means of livelihood and survival. (May 27, 2025)
• Peace Now reported that the Israeli government spent approximately 101 million NIS in 2024 on private security companies to protect around 3,000 settlers living in Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, including Silwan, the Muslim Quarter, and Ras al-Amud. This amounts to 3,000 NIS per month for each settler. (27 May 2025)
• Oxfam International warned that the mass displacement campaign being carried out by Israel is systematically working to erase the Gaza Strip entirely, in grave violation of international law. The organization stated that Israel’s pattern of displacement, along with the deliberate denial of humanitarian aid, is not aimed at neutralizing a military threat as claimed by Israel, but rather at dismantling the social and spatial fabric of Gaza and emptying it of its population. Oxfam stressed that confining civilians to isolated areas amounts to a policy of mass starvation and the deliberate destruction of civil society. (28 May 2025)
• Peace Now stated that the Israeli government’s decision to establish 22 new settlements in the West Bank represents the most extensive move of its kind since the Oslo Accords, affirming that the annexation of occupied land and the expansion of settlements are central goals of the current government. The organization explained that the decision will lead to a drastic change in the West Bank, as some of these settlements are located deep within areas designated for a future Palestinian state, including zones allocated to Palestinians under the Trump Plan. (29 May 2025)
• The Gaza Tribunal, following its meeting in Sarajevo, declared a collective moral outrage over the ongoing genocide in Palestine. It condemned the complicity of governments in Israeli war crimes and called for immediate action to isolate and hold the Israeli regime accountable. The Tribunal also reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s right to resist by all means, including armed struggle. (29 May 2025)

Research and academic studies (in Arabic and English):

• Dialogue Social Science Review published a research paper by Syed Nizam Badshah Bukhari and others titled: “ The Effectiveness of International Criminal Law in Context of Resolving Gaza-Israel Conflict .”(2025)            
•  The Critical Review of Social Sciences Studies magazine published a research paper by Hafiz Abdul Rehman Saleem, Shahid Iqbal and others titled: “International Humanitarian Law and Women Right Violation in Israel-Palestine Armed Conflict of 2023 .”(2025)      
• American Journal of International Law magazine published a research paper by Marco Longobardo titled: “ Legal Consequences Arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Including East Jerusalem.” (2025)
• The Journal of Genocide Research published a research paper by scholars Mark LeVine and Eric Cheyfitz titled: “Israel, Palestine, and the Poetics of Genocide Revisited” (2025).
• The International Journal of Law published a research paper by scholar Rabeya Dewan titled: “Responsibility of third-party states in the Israel-Palestine conflict ” (2025).

Opinion Pieces and features

• Mondoweiss published an op-ed by Mitchell Plitnick titled : “Europe is finally taking action for Palestine, but it is too little and too late.” ( May 24, 2025)
• Haaretz published an article by Yaniv Kubovich and Bar Peleg titled : “ How Netanyahu’s Office Chose a U.S. Firm With No Aid Experience to Run Gaza Food Project Behind Israeli Army’s Back?” (May 25, 2025)
• Haaretz published an op-ed by Gideon Levy titled: “Will Not One Israeli Say: End the War for Gaza’s Sake?” (May 25, 2025)
• The Guardian published an opinion piece by Nesrine Malik titled: “The turning point that wasn’t: the way the world talks about Israel’s war has changed. Nothing else has ” (May 26, 2025).
• Arab News published an opinion piece by Ramzy Baroud titled: “Swift global intervention can halt Gaza genocide “ (May 26, 2025).
• Arab News published an op-ed by Osama Al-Sharif titled: “Europe’s rude awakening on confronting Israel” (May 27, 2025)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion piece by Qassam Muaddi titled: “Israel says it will soon occupy 75% of Gaza, and it’s using control over aid to do it” (May 27, 2025)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion piece by Jonathan Ofir titled: “Poll shows Israeli belief that Palestinians should be eradicated is no longer a fringe opinion” (29 May 2025)
• Al Jazeera published an opinion piece by Ahmed Ibsais titled: “Gaza’s aid system isn’t broken. It’s working exactly as designed ” (May 28, 2025).
• Mondoweiss published an opinion piece by Omar Aziz titled: “Humanity is being buried in Gaza. We must rise up to save our collective future. ” (May 28, 2025)
• The Guardian published an opinion piece by Arwa Mahdawi titled: “Have you looked at satellite images of Gaza? You should ” (May 29, 2025)
• Al Jazeera published an opinion piece by Ghada Ageel titled: “Israel is burning Gaza’s children. And the world lets it happen.” (May 29, 2025)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion piece by Mitchell Plitnick titled: “Europe is trying to put pressure on Israel to stop the Gaza slaughter. Will Trump let them?” (May 29, 2025)
• CounterPunch published an article by Daragh Cogley titled: “Ireland’s Double Game: Anti-Colonial Rhetoric Meets Neoliberal Imperialism” (May 30, 2025)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion piece by Abdaljawad Omar titled: “The ‘chaos’ of aid distribution in Gaza is not a system failure. The system is designed to fail.” (May 30, 2025)
• Inter Press Service published an opinion piece by Alon Ben-Meir titled: “If this isn’t genocide, what is?” (May 30, 2025)

Legal Achievements/Impacts for Palestine

• The state of Antigua and Barbuda has responded to calls from the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and Caribbean civil society by issuing a legal directive prohibiting any vessel registered under its flag from carrying arms, ammunition, or other military equipment intended for delivery to, or use in, a conflict zone. This decision follows revelations that the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged vessel HC Opal is suspected of transporting military supplies, including explosives, rocket parts, and fuses, to Israel for use in the genocide in Gaza Srtip, in direct violation of the Genocide Convention and the orders of the International Court of Justice.

Human rights conferences and events

• Over 900 former judges, lawyers, and legal academics in the United Kingdom signed an open letter expressing deep concern over the worsening catastrophe in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel’s grave violations of international law, including acts of genocide in Gaza, or at the very least, a serious risk of it occurring. The letter emphasized that all states, including the UK, are legally obligated to take all reasonable measures within their power to prevent and punish genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law. (May 26, 2025)
• A group of 1,300 academic and administrative staff members from higher education institutions in Israel issued an urgent appeal to the heads of the Israeli educational system, calling on them to “mobilize the full weight of Israeli academia to stop the war in Gaza.” They emphasized that the silence of these institutions in the face of killing, starvation, and destruction, including the complete dismantling of the educational system in Gaza, amounts to complicity. (May 28, 2025)

Upcoming human rights opportunities and events

• The Britain Palestine Project (BPP) announced its upcoming webinar titled: “How Israeli society became radicalised? Professor Menachem Klein discusses why normal Israelis came to support the Gaza war crimes” The event is scheduled for Tuesday, 10 June 2025, at 3:00 PM UK time. The webinar will explore the factors that led ordinary Israelis to support war crimes in Gaza. (2025)