PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE – Issue. 286

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

22-28 June. 2025

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

Prepared by: Razwan Issa, Nour Kharouf, Arwa Abdel Moniam, Murad Abu Murad, Ahmad Rjoub

Translation: Mai Shaheen and Mohammed Janineh

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 Governor of Tulkarm, Abdullah Kamil, stated that Israeli occupation forces are committing daily crimes against Palestinians in Tulkarm Governorate, including stealing money and valuables from homes during raids, as well as carrying out humiliating practices during arrests and detentions. (June 24, 2025)
• The Chairman of the Palestinian National Council, RawhiFattouh, saidthat the massacre carried out by Israeli occupation forces on Salah al-Din Street in central Gaza constitutes a “full-fledged war crime” that adds to the occupation’s bloody record. He stated that the attack was carried out under a alleged humanitarian cover, with U.S. support and international silence, pointing to a clear American-Israeli partnership in orchestrating death. (June 24, 2025)
• The Jerusalem Governorate called for urgent international intervention to stop the eviction orders issued by Israeli occupation authorities in the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque. It urged accountability for those implementing displacement policies, called for legal and field support for Palestinian families, and rejecting Israel’s discriminatory laws as tools of colonialism. The governorate noted that eviction orders have already been enforced against 16 families, while 9 others are awaiting decisions on their appeals. The Palestinian National Council alsowarned that the occupation is racing against time to empty Jerusalem of its original inhabitants and impose a Judaized reality by force. (June 24, 2025)
• The Vice President of the State of Palestine, Hussein Al-Sheikh, stated that the ongoing settler rampages and violence, carried out under the protection of the Israeli occupation army, along with continued attacks on Palestinian towns and villages and other racist practices, are the result of a deliberate political decision by the Israeli government. He warned that such actions could lead to a regional explosion. Al-Sheikh urged the international community to urgently intervene to protect the Palestinian people from these systematic crimes. Meanwhile, Palestinian National Council Chairman RawhiFattouhsaid that the attack by settler militias on the town of Kafr Malik, east of Ramallah, was not an isolated incident but the direct result of incitement, arming, and full support by the occupation government. (25 June 2025)
• Marking the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Palestinian prisoner organizations, including the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, and Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, reported that Israeli occupation authorities continue to escalate the use of systematic torture in prisons and military camps, which have effectively become centers of torture. The organizations noted that disease and outbreaks are being weaponized as a form of systematic torture, as prisoners are deliberately denied medical treatment. (June 26, 2025)

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

• Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvirdescribed the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza as a “terrible disgrace,” and called for a complete halt to aid deliveries rather than a temporary suspension. He stated his intention to urge the Prime Minister to bring the issue to another vote at the upcoming cabinet meeting. (June 26, 2025)
• Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrichsaid that expanding the Abraham Accords is a positive step as long as it is grounded in strength, security, and regional economic development. However, he warned against using these agreements as a cover for what he described as an existential threat, including the division of the land, the transfer of territory to “the enemy,” and the establishment of a “terrorist” Palestinian state twenty times the size of Gaza. (June 26, 2025)

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

• UNRWA and the Turkish government have signed a headquarters agreement under which Turkey will host a UNRWA office in Ankara. The move aims to diversify and expand the agency’s political and financial support base. Turkish President RecepTayyipErdoğancalled on Muslim countries to increase both financial and moral support to the agency following Israel’s ban on its activities. He stated: “We must not allow Israel to paralyze UNRWA, which plays an indispensable role in caring for Palestinian refugees. We expect our organization, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and every member state to provide financial and moral support to UNRWA to thwart Israel’s schemes.” (June 21, 2025)
• UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzariniwarned of a long-term plan to erase the Palestinian refugee issue by dismantling UNRWA and stripping Palestinians of their refugee status and right of return. He emphasized that the targeting of UNRWA is part of a systematic disinformation campaign, led by the Zionist lobby in donor countries, aimed at cutting the agency’s funding and undermining its operations. (June 22, 2025)
• Jonathan Whittall, Head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, stated that what is happening in the Gaza Strip amounts to carnage, marked by the use of hunger as a weapon, forced displacement, and a death sentence for people simply trying to survive. He stressed that all of this “appears to be the erasure of Palestinian life from Gaza.” Whittall pointed to the collapse of Gaza’s infrastructure, severe shortages of water and food, the closure of humanitarian warehouses, and the compression of millions of Palestinians into just 17% of the Strip’s area, amid the near-total collapse of the health system. (June 22, 2025)
• The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that children in Gaza are at risk of dying from thirst due to the collapse of water networks caused by a lack of fuel, noting that the Strip is facing a man-made drought. It reported that only 40 percent of Gaza’s drinking water production facilities remain operational, and warned that all of them will cease functioning within weeks if fuel is not allowed in. (June 22, 2025)
• Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, described the decision to allow Israel, accused of genocide and starving Palestinians, to supervise the distribution of aid in Gaza as “ludicrous and obscene,” calling it an insult to human decency. Albanese said labeling the current situation as a humanitarian effort is mere camouflage. (June 23, 2025)
• Serbian President AleksandarVučićannounced that Serbia has completely halted ammunition exports, stating that all production is now being directed exclusively to the Serbian army. In response to a question about arms exports to Israel, Vučić confirmed that some shipments had been sent after October 7, 2023, but added: “Today we have a different situation”. We have halted everything. (June 23, 2025)
• France issued a statement condemning the Israeli strike on an aid distribution center in the Gaza Strip that left several dozen civilians dead or injured. The statement reiterated France’s full support for UN agencies and their humanitarian partners, commending their integrity and ability to deliver aid in line with humanitarian principles. France emphasized that humanitarian aid must not be exploited for political or military ends. (June 24, 2025)
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merzstated that the time has come to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. He called for a critical examination of “what goal Israel aims to achieve there, and how a more dignified treatment of the people can be ensured.” (June 24, 2025)
• The UN Office for Human Rights reported that at least 410 people have been killed by the Israeli army while attempting to access aid from newly established relief centers in Gaza. ThaminKhaitan, spokesperson for the Office, stated that Israel’s military-run humanitarian aid mechanism contradicts international standards for aid distribution. He added that weaponizing food against civilians, along with restricting or denying access to life-saving services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may amount to other crimes under international law. (June 24, 2025)
• Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, stated during the UNRWA Advisory Commission meeting that the occupied Palestinian territory is at a tipping point, threatening to permanently alter the long-established parameters for resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict. He warned that what is unfolding in the Palestinian territories reflects the implementation of a decades-old project aimed at separating Palestinians from Palestine, noting that displacement from refugee camps is now occurring at levels not seen since 1967. (June 25, 2025)
• The Government of Ireland has approved the publication of the General Scheme of the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill. The proposed legislation would make the importation of goods from these settlements an offence under the Customs Act 2015, enabling inspection and seizure powers. Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Harris, emphasized that the settlements are illegal, and affirmed the Government’s intention to proceed with the bill by referring it to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny.He urged opposition leaders to contact their counterparts in the EU Union, calling on them to publish their own Occupied Palestinian Territories Bill. (25 June 2025)
• Virginia Gamba, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict stated that the scale of destruction and suffering endured by the children of Gaza defies and contravenes every human standard, adding that “There is no justification for depriving children of access to the means for their survival, including access to food, healthcare, and security.”( June 25, 2025)
• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that he would urge the European Union to “immediately suspend the Association Agreement with Israel due to its flagrant violation of the agreement, particularly regarding human rights.” He emphasized that “a situation of genocide is unfolding in Gaza,” and added, “It makes no sense to impose 18 packages of sanctions on Russia while doing nothing against Israel.” (June 26, 2025)
• The German Federal Foreign Office condemned an attack carried out by over 100 Israeli settlers on the Palestinian town of Kafr Malik in the West Bank, which involved violent assaults against residents and the torching of homes and vehicles. The ministry stated that these events underscore Israel’s obligation, as the occupying power, to better protect the Palestinian population in the West Bank and prevent such attacks from recurring. The Foreign Ministries of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia also condemned the assault. France issued a statement condemning the repeated attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers. (June 26, 2025)
• The European Council adopted a set of conclusions on the Middle East, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the unconditional release of all hostages, while emphasizing the need for a permanent end to hostilities. The Council deplored the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, the unacceptable number of civilian casualties, and the widespread starvation. It also reiterated its condemnation of the escalation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, citing increased settler violence, the expansion of illegal settlements, and Israel’s ongoing military operations. (June 26, 2025)
• Saudi Arabia has disbursed a $30 million payment from its grant allocated to the State of Palestine, as part of its continued support for the year 2025. (June 26, 2025)
• Roland Friedrich, Director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, confirmed that refugee camps in the northern West Bank, particularly Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams, are facing ongoing destruction, with dozens of buildings demolished over the past twelve days. He stated that Israeli forces continue demolition operations that have prevented families from retrieving their belongings. He added that these camps have been reduced to rubble as part of a systematic campaign of forced displacement, which constitutes a violation of international law and a form of collective punishment. (June 26, 2025)
• Israel Hayom newspaperreported that U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have reached a general understanding on a strategic vision that includes ending the war in Gaza within two weeks, expanding the Abraham Accords to include Syria and Saudi Arabia, and advancing a two-state solution with limited Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). According to the report, the plan envisions Gaza being administered by four Arab countries, including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates,after the dismantling of Hamas’s rule, the exile of its leadership, and the release of hostages, with several countries agreed to accept Gaza residents who wish to emigrate. (June 26, 2025)

Publications of human rights NGOs

• Human Rights Watch reported that European Union foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss the possible suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement, amid escalating Israeli crimes against Palestinians, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. While the EU is Israel’s main trading partner and the second-largest source of its weapons, it has so far avoided formally recognizing these crimes or taking concrete action, thereby reinforcing a climate of impunity. According to a leaked report, Israel has been found to be clearly violating the agreement’s human rights clause. (June 23, 2025)
• The Secretary-General of Amnesty International described the European Commission’s report on Israeli human rights violations as a timid step that “finally states the obvious.” She stressed that it is time to end European complicity, warning that every deal signed with Israel today risks making European countries complicit in international crimes, including genocide. She added: If the EU does not act as a bloc, its member states must unilaterally suspend all forms of cooperation that may contribute to violations of international law. (June 23, 2025)
• Declassified UK revealed that Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems directly lobbied the UK Home Office to pursue a retrial against the co-founders of Palestine Action, after charges against them were dropped in December 2023. Documents show that Elbit maintains close ties with the UK government, having held private meetings with senior ministers, called for action against activists, and shared intelligence with police. (June 23, 2025)
• Fifteen human rights and legal organizations—including Al Mezan Center, Al-Haq, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, have warned in an open letter of the potential legal liability facing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and its partners due to possible complicity in serious violations of international law. The organizations called on donors, contractors, and consultants to immediately withdraw from the scheme and instead support internationally recognized humanitarian aid channels through the United Nations. (June 23, 2025)
• Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) has warned of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the West Bank amid escalating Israeli military operations, particularly in Jenin, Nablus, and Tulkarem. The organization called for an immediate end to all measures contributing to forced displacement and the system of annexation, including the heavy military presence, movement restrictions, demolitions, excessive use of force, and the systematic denial of essential services. (June 23, 2025)
• The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) issued an urgent appeal to protect the lives of hundreds of infants and premature babies in the Gaza Strip, who face a grave threat due to a lack of therapeutic and formula milk. This crisis follows the complete closure of all crossings by Israeli occupation authorities for nearly four months, which PCHR states constitutes a war crime and part of the ongoing crime of genocide for the second consecutive year. (June 23, 2025)
• The Human Rights and Democracy Media Center “SHAMS” condemned the field execution of 13-year-old Palestinian child Ammar MoatazHamayelby Israeli occupation forces in the town of Kafr Malik, east of Ramallah. He was shot and left to bleed without receiving medical aid. The center called for the activation of international protection mechanisms for Palestinian children, in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and UN Security Council Resolution 1612. (June 23, 2025)
• The Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council warned that Israel’s severe blockade on Gaza threatens to deprive the enclave’s children of even clean water. He explained that the continued denial of fuel entry will soon force desalination plants and water distribution trucks to shut down, putting countless lives at risk. He stressed that starving civilians and depriving them of water constitutes a war crime and will remain a lasting stain on Israel’s record. (June 23, 2025)
• The Human Rights and Democracy Media Center “SHAMS” published a report titled “The Occupation’s Tools for Destroying Education in Palestine,” documenting Israel’s targeting of students, teachers, and educational institutions in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, particularly from October 7, 2023, to mid-2025—through bombings, closures, arrests, and the deliberate destruction of educational infrastructure. The Center also released a position paper titled “Israel Besieges Geography: Its Military Checkpoints Strangle Palestinian Social Life,” which examines the profound impact of Israeli checkpoints on the Palestinian social fabric. (June 23–24, 2025)
• BADIL issued a statement titled “Forced Displacement: Coordinated Forcible Transfer as a Mechanism of Erasure of Palestinian Presence,” asserting that the Israeli colonial system is carrying out a systematic campaign of forced displacement across all of Mandate Palestine. The statement highlights that this campaign aims to dismantle Palestinian society and structures of resistance, deny the right of return, and ultimately serves a broader colonial project, constituting a crime of genocide. (June 24, 2025)
• Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement published a report titled “The War on Food Production: Fishing,” stating that Israel has systematically destroyed Gaza’s food production infrastructure, particularly its once-vital fishing sector. The report argues that this destruction has contributed significantly to the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and has ensured the population’s continued dependency on aid deliveries. (June 24, 2025)
• Palestinian human rights organizations, including the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) and the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), have called on the European Union to terminate the EU-Israel Association Agreement, citing Israel’s blatant violations of Article 2, which requires respect for human rights and democratic principles. The appeal comes in light of Israel’s continued perpetration of war crimes, illegal occupation, and ethnic cleansing in the occupied Palestinian territories. (June 26, 2025)
• In response to a letter sent by Johnnie Moore, head of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, to UN Secretary-General AntónioGuterres, claiming that the UN’s continued reliance on the so-called “existing infrastructure” had effectively obstructed aid delivery while his foundation succeeded in distributing around 40 million meals in its first month using “safe distribution sites” based on Sphere Handbook principles, the Sphere Association firmly rejected these claims. It warned that the handbook must not be used to justify activities that violate humanitarian principles or lack transparency, accountability, and community participation. (June 26, 2025)
• ActionAid stated that, one month after the launch of the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” as a militarized aid distribution system in Gaza, 516 people have been killed while attempting to reach distribution sites. The organization described the system as a death trap and accused it of turning humanitarian aid into a deadly scheme. (June 26, 2025)
• Haaretzpublished a report citing testimonies from Israeli soldiers and officers who stated that they were ordered to deliberately open fire on unarmed Palestinian crowds near humanitarian aid distribution points in Gaza, even when there was no threat. One soldier described the scene as a “killing field,” noting the use of live fire from heavy machine guns and mortar shells against hungry civilians, with no attempts made to manage the crowds using non-lethal means. (June 27, 2025)
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Gaza called on Israeli authorities to lift the siege of the Gaza Strip and restore the pre-existing principled humanitarian system coordinated by the United Nations. MSF warned that the Israeli-American food distribution program, operated through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, deliberately humiliates Palestinians and forces them to choose between hunger and risking their lives to obtain minimal supplies. (June 27, 2025)

Research and academic studies (in Arabic and English):

• Journal of Genocide Research published a research paper by Ernesto Verdeja titled: “The Gaza Genocide in Five Crises.”(2025)

Opinion Pieces and features

• The Guardian published an opinion piece by Sally Rooney titled: “Israel kills innocent Palestinians. Activists spray-paint a plane. Guess which the UK government calls terrorism”(June 22, 2025)
• Mondoweisspublished an opinion piece by Cynthia Silverstein titled: “Jews can reject the violence and inhumanity of Zionism by embracing the diaspora” (June 22, 2025)
• The Palestine Chronicle published an opinion article by HaidarEid titled: “Litmus Test for International Law and Human Rights – Will Gaza Unite Us?” (June 23, 2025).
• The Guardian published an opinion piece by James Elder titled: “Israel, please let aid organisations do our jobs in Gaza .” (June 24, 2025)
• CounterPunch published an article by Jeff Halper titled: “Global Palestine: Israel, the Palestinians, the Middle East and the World After the American Attack on Iran.” (June 24, 2025)
• The New Humanitarian published an article by NourElAssy, titled: “Israel is arming gangs to fracture Gaza’s society from the inside. (June 25, 2025)
• Haaretz published an analytical article by Dahlia Scheindlin titled: “There is only one way to end the Gaza war and prevent future bloodbaths.” (June 26, 2025)
• The New York Times published an article by Rawan Sheikh Ahmad and Adam Rasgon titled: “The Lethal Risk of Seeking Food in Gaza.” (June 26, 2025)
• Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent published an article in The Guardian titled: “Free speech target or terrorist gang? The inside story of Palestine Action – and the plan to ban it.”(June 28, 2025)

Legal Achievements/Impacts for Palestine

• Global shipping company Maersk has announced the suspension of its dealings with companies operating in illegal Israeli settlements, according to an official notice published on its website. The company confirmed that it will no longer ship goods from entities listed in the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ database. (June 23, 2025)
• The BDS Movement stated that despite Israel’s significant influence within the European Union, Israeli institutions, particularly its universities, are being rejected by an unprecedented number of academic institutions and scholars across Europe. Participation by Israeli institutions in the EU’s Horizon research funding program has dropped sharply since the start of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, largely due to the growing impact of academic boycotts and student-led BDS mobilizations. According to the data, acceptance rates for joint projects with Israeli universities have fallen by 68.5% by 2025 compared to previous years. (June 23, 2025)

Human rights conferences and events

• In an interview with EL PAÍS, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, stated that Israel’s genocide in Gaza does not stop because so many are profiting from it. Albanese will present a new report next week that will list the names of companies “that have profited from genocide.” She called for the imposition of sanctions and the severance of all economic and military ties with Israel in accordance with the obligations of the Genocide Convention and international law. Albanese also criticized the European Union’s complicity, particularly with the continuation of the EU-Israel Association Agreement despite violations of Article 2. She emphasized that following its recognition of the State of Palestine, Spain must halt arms imports and trade with Tel Aviv. (June 23, 2025)

Upcoming human rights opportunities and events

• The Essex Business and Human Rights Project, in collaboration with SOMO and other organizations, has announced an online seminar titled “Illegal Occupation, Genocide, and Business: Reflections on the Case of Palestine.” The event will take place on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, at 3:30 PM Geneva time (4:30 PM Jerusalem time). The discussion will explore the obligations and responsibilities of companies operating within Israel’s war economy and examine mechanisms for holding them accountable. [Registration link and further details available here.] (June 2025)
• Amnesty International has announced a seminar in Geneva titled “Justice and Accountability for Palestine,” focusing on how to enforce international law and end impunity. The event will feature Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories; AgnèsCallamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International; Saleh Hijazi from the BDS Movement; and WesamAhmad from Al-Haq. The seminar will be held on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at 6:00 PM Geneva time. (June 2025)