PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE – Issue. 297

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

7 – 13 September 2025

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

Prepared by: Nour Kharouf, Murad Abu Murad, Ahmad Al-Rjoub, and Arwa Abdel Moniam

Translation: Mays Abu Atwan and Maisaa Abdelqader

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 Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the international community and all states to take effective action to protect the city of Tulkarm, its residents, their homes, and property from the occupation’s brutality and the collective punishments imposed on defenseless civilians. The Ministry warned that the occupation is pursuing a systematic policy to escalate the situation in the West Bank and advance annexation, settlement expansion, and displacement projects. It stressed that international complacency only emboldens the extremist occupation government to continue its illegal unilateral measures. (September 12, 2025)

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

• Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee has issued new evacuation orders for residents of Gaza City, including those in towers, residential buildings, and nearby tents ( here, here, here, and here). He urged civilians to move south toward the so-called “designated humanitarian zone” in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. (September 7–10, 2025)
• The Israeli Supreme Court has unanimously ruled in favor of a petition filed by the Association for Civil Rights and Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, against the Israel Prison Service’s policy of reducing food for security prisoners (the Palestinians). The Court found that current food supplies do not meet legal standards and affirmed that every prisoner must be guaranteed the full rations allocated to them under Prison Service guidelines. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir condemned the ruling, saying that murderers and rapists have a Supreme Court that protects them, and vowed to continue enforcing his minimalist policy. (September 8, 2025)
• In response to Spain’s announcement of measures to stop the genocide in Gaza, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused the Spanish government of pursuing a hostile, anti-Israel policy marked by antisemitism. He announced personal sanctions, including a ban on entry to Israel for two Spanish ministers, and said Israel would cut off all contact with them, adding that further measures would follow. Sa’ar also rejected attempts to impose a “Palestinian terrorist state” in Israel’s heart. (September 8, 2025)
• Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned, “A massive hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City and the roofs of the terror towers will tremble,” calling it a final warning to Hamas fighters in Gaza and abroad to release the hostages and lay down their arms. He added: “Gaza will be destroyed and you will be annihilated.” (September 8, 2025)
• The National Security Committee, chaired by Knesset member Tzvika Fogel, held a follow-up session on the implementation of the Entry into Israel Law (Amendment No. 38) of 2024. The amendment imposes harsher penalties, mandatory fines, and allows for temporary imprisonment until May 2027 for anyone who harbors, employs, or transports Palestinians from the West Bank without authorization. Fogel claimed that the presence of these “infiltrators” undermines both personal security and Israeli sovereignty. (September 9, 2025)
• Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that he had ordered the imposition of civil sanctions (collective punishment) on the families of those responsible for the Jerusalem attack and the villages they come from. The measures include the demolition of every illegal building in those villages and the revocation of 750 work permits and entry authorizations into Israel. (September 9, 2025)
• During a ceremony to sign an agreement accelerating the expansion of the Ma’ale Adumim settlement in the West Bank, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that “there will be no Palestinian state.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich added that the next step would be the annexation of the West Bank. (September 11, 2025)
• Former Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi stated that more than 200,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured since the war began on October 7, 2023. He emphasized that legal consultations have never constrained military operations in the Gaza Strip, and that the Israeli army has operated with complete freedom from the outset. He added that the role of legal advisors was largely to provide international legal justifications for the army’s actions, while military orders ignored legal advice, including recommendations against issuing evacuation orders for civilians before securing facilities for the population in southern Gaza. (September 12, 2025)

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

• UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher said that Israel’s latest displacement order against Palestinians in Gaza City comes just two weeks after famine in the Strip was confirmed. He warned that the narrow window available until the end of September to prevent famine from spreading to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis is rapidly closing. Fletcher stressed that the death, destruction, hunger, and displacement of Palestinian civilians are the result of choices that defy international law and disregard the international community. (September 7, 2025)
• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced nine urgent measures “to stop the genocide in Gaza, prosecute its perpetrators, and support the Palestinian people.” These include banning the export and sale of weapons to Israel; prohibiting the passage of ships carrying fuel for Israeli forces; banning government aircraft transporting defense materials to Israel from entering Spanish airspace; and barring individuals directly involved in the genocide and human rights violations from entering Spain. (September 8, 2025)
• The Spanish Government strongly rejected what it called false and slanderous accusations of antisemitism by the Israeli Government against Spain and the Spanish people, as well as Israel’s ban on two members of the Spanish Government from entering the country. Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz said it was a point of pride for her and Sira Rego to be barred from entering a state that commits genocide, stressing that she will continue to fight for the rights of the Palestinian people. (September 8, 2025)
• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, speaking at the virtual BRICS summit, reiterated Egypt’s strong rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians or impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied territories. He called for support of the two-state solution and recognition of the Palestinians’ right to establish an independent state. (September 8, 2025)
• The UK government has stated that it has not concluded Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, pending a final ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It emphasized that genocide requires specific intent, which it claims has not been found in Israel’s actions. While opposing Israel’s military actions and settlement expansion, the government confirmed it has stopped issuing export licenses for weapons that could be used in the conflict, except those related to the F-35 program. (September 8, 2025)
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the international community is failing in its duty, adding: “We are failing the people of Gaza.” In his address to the Human Rights Council, he stressed that Israel’s mass killings of civilians are shocking the world’s conscience. (September 9, 2025)
• The District Prosecutor’s Office in Kielce confirmed the launch of an investigation into possible aiding and abetting, as well as approval, of genocide and crimes against humanity by representatives of Israeli arms companies present at the MSPO arms fair. The case was initiated following a complaint filed on September 3 with the involvement of the Polish-Palestinian initiative KAKTUS. Proceedings are being conducted in rem. So far, two individuals have been questioned, and part of the Israeli delegation left the fair before its conclusion. (September 9, 2025)
• UN experts urged Israel to cease all threats against the Global Sumud Flotilla and to ensure it proceeds unhindered in its mission to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. They stressed that any attempt to block the flotilla would constitute a grave violation of international law and humanitarian principles. (September 9, 2025)
• The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child condemned the ongoing mass starvation of children in Gaza and its use as a weapon of war, warning of worsening famine. It reported that children are suffering from severe malnutrition and unbearable famine conditions amid the collapse of essential services such as clean water, sanitation, and healthcare, alongside the destruction of civilian infrastructure. In addition, children are directly exposed to Israeli military attacks that have killed many and left others in a state of deep psychological trauma. The Committee emphasized that these actions amount to blatant violations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. (September 9, 2025)
• UN experts urged the United States to grant visas to Palestinian leaders ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York and to lift the discriminatory suspension of visitor visa processing for all Palestinian nationals. They stressed that under the 1947 UN Headquarters Agreement, the United States is internationally obligated to allow entry to Palestinian officials. (September 9, 2025)
• Dutch Foreign Minister Kasper Veldkamp announced that, starting September 10, 2025, Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich will be banned from entering all 29 countries that are part of the Schengen Agreement. (September 9, 2025)
• European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib said the EU will step up its efforts by proposing trade measures, including a partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, halting bilateral support to Israel, and imposing sanctions on extremist ministers and violent settlers. (September 10, 2025)
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the situation in Gaza has shaken the world’s conscience, stressing that man-made famine cannot be used as a weapon of war and must stop immediately. She emphasized the need for Europe to do more by suspending bilateral support for Israel without affecting civil society, introducing new proposals for sanctions on extremist ministers and violent settlers, and partially suspending the Partnership Agreement on trade matters. She also called for the establishment of a donors’ group for Palestine, including a dedicated mechanism for the reconstruction of Gaza. (September 10, 2025)
• Commenting on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s statements, UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territory Francesca Albanese said these positions are “too little, too late, and intolerably insufficient under international law.” She called on EU states to impose a full arms embargo, suspend all trade, prosecute alleged criminals, and send a fleet to break the siege on Gaza. (September 10, 2025)
• The Humanitarian Country Team Committee in the Palestinian Territory highlighted the dangerous escalation in Gaza City due to Israeli forces stepping up operations and ordering residents to move south. It called for expanded humanitarian access and the opening of fuel and water lines, stressing that this is a human-made disaster and that responsibility rests with the occupying forces. (September 10, 2025)
• The European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on Israel to open all crossings for humanitarian aid, ensure the protection of civilians, achieve an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and reinstate funding for UNRWA. The Parliament stressed that the European Union must play a key role in addressing famine and advancing the political process toward a two-state solution, calling for the recognition of the State of Palestine and support for the work of the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. It also emphasized the need to impose sanctions on extremist Israeli ministers. (September 10, 2025)
• Dutch Foreign Minister Kasper Veldkamp stated that the Netherlands plans to ban the import of goods produced in settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. (September 11, 2025)
• The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s signing of the settlement plan agreement in the E1 area and his extremist statements aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state, calling them a blatant violation of international law. (September 11, 2025)
• The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) confirmed that malnutrition rates among children in the Gaza Strip have reached devastating levels, with the percentage of children suffering from acute malnutrition rising from 8.3% in July to 13.5% in August. In Gaza City, the rate reached 19%, meaning one in every five children is affected, while cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) also rose to 23%, compared with 12% six months ago. (September 11, 2025)
• British authorities rejected the petition by Friends of Al-Aqsa to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli President Isaac Herzog during his visit to London. The organization announced that it will seek a judicial review at the Supreme Court to challenge the decision. (September 11, 2025)
• Members of the U.S. Senate released a report following a field visit that included Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, and Egypt. The report stated that the Netanyahu government is carrying out a plan of ethnic cleansing in Gaza through the near-total destruction of civilian infrastructure and the use of food as a weapon of war, with the aim of erasing the Palestinian presence in Gaza and eliminating any possibility of a Palestinian state. (September 11, 2025)
• The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution reaffirming support for the New York Declaration on the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question and the implementation of the two-state solution. It also endorsed an urgent action plan to chart an irreversible path toward a peaceful settlement and the realization of the two-state solution. The resolution received 142 votes in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstentions. It condemned the October 7 attacks as well as Israel’s assaults on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including the use of siege and starvation tactics. The resolution calls for an immediate end to the war on Gaza, the deployment of a temporary international mission to stabilize the situation, and recognition of the State of Palestine. (September 12, 2025)

Publications of human rights NGOs

• The International Commission of Jurists condemned the U.S. administration’s decision to impose sanctions on three prominent Palestinian human rights organizations: Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. The Commission stated that this move constitutes a blatant assault on the rule of law and an obstruction of justice, calling on the United States to revoke the decision and cease targeting organizations and individuals for their cooperation with the International Criminal Court. (September 6, 2025)
• Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement warned against Israel’s announcement of a new “humanitarian area” and its attempts to push residents into it, coinciding with statements regarding the “occupation” of Gaza City and the escalation of attacks. The organization stressed that evacuation orders and the conditioning of aid distribution solely within that zone would cause further suffering. It stated that the evacuation warning is unenforceable, constitutes a cruel and unlawful act, and amounts to forced displacement rising to the level of a crime against humanity. (September 7, 2025)
• Global Unions, a trade union network for service sector workers in 150 countries, urged all nations to recognize the State of Palestine. They stated that such recognition would enhance the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, strengthen international law, pave the way for genuine negotiations between equal parties, and limit the ongoing illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. (September 8, 2025)
• The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) condemned Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to London, asserting that his reception provides political cover and legitimacy for Israeli occupation crimes. The PRC emphasized that the UK, as a party to the Genocide Convention and the Geneva Conventions, has a legal and moral obligation to prevent these crimes and hold perpetrators accountable. The organization called for a comprehensive arms embargo and the cessation of all forms of security and intelligence cooperation with Israel. (September 8, 2025)
• The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) warned that Israeli forces have intensified their military assault on Gaza City as part of a declared plan to gain full control of the city, depopulate it, and forcibly displace its residents. PCHR also issued a report titled “Assassination of Truth: Killing Journalists Amid Genocide in Gaza”, documenting crimes and violations committed by Israeli forces against journalists and media institutions during the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. (September 8, 2025)
• Peace Now stated that the scheduled visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Israeli settlement in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem amounts to American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the most sensitive part of Jerusalem, contradicting Washington’s position since 1967. The organization warned that the visit strengthens settlers’ grip on the heart of the Holy Basin and undermines prospects for a two-state solution. (September 8, 2025)

• The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate reported that 31 female journalists and dozens of media activists have been killed since the start of the Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023, through early September 2025, in acts that qualify as war crimes and crimes against humanity. It noted that the occupation deliberately targets female journalists to silence Palestinian women’s voices and obscure documented truths on the ground. (September 9, 2025)
• The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) filed a criminal complaint before the Central Investigative Court of the Audiencia Nacional in Spain against Israeli soldier Tameer (Tamer) Mulla for his direct involvement in genocide and war crimes during Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza. The complaint included crimes that he himself documented through videos and photos. Since Mulla is currently in Barcelona, the Foundation called on the court to urgently issue an arrest warrant for him. (September 9, 2025)
• The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) warned that Israel’s orders to empty Gaza City threaten to trigger the largest wave of mass displacement since the hostilities began, stressing that the directive amounts to forcible transfer and constitutes a crime against humanity. The NRC called on all states to take urgent action, including an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages. (September 9, 2025)
• The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights reiterated its warning against the Israeli occupation’s decision to forcibly displace all residents of Gaza City to the area designated as the “humanitarian area” in the southern part of the Strip. It stated that the area allocated for citizens does not exceed 15 square kilometers and lacks basic necessities for survival, describing the label “humanitarian” as merely a cover for acts of genocide. The center also warned that the Israeli occupation prevents the injured, amputees, and people with disabilities in Gaza from receiving treatment and assistive devices, calling on the international community to act immediately to allow medical aid access, open safe corridors, evacuate the injured, and initiate an urgent investigation by the International Criminal Court to ensure the protection of persons with disabilities. (September 10, 2025)
• Amnesty International urged Israel to immediately rescind the mass displacement order recently issued by the Israeli military to the residents of Gaza City, describing the order as unlawful and inhumane and warning that it further compounds the suffering of civilians amid the ongoing genocide. (September 10, 2025)
• DAWN and A New Policy published a joint analysis of the U.S. Department of State’s 2024 Human Rights Report concerning Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. They found the report to be heavily politicized, with near-total omission of unprecedented Israeli violations and neglect of the International Criminal Court arrest warrants and International Court of Justice decisions issued in 2024. The analysis concluded that the report has become a tool for whitewashing Israeli war crimes rather than a mechanism for accountability, relying almost entirely on Israeli sources while disregarding information from international organizations and the United Nations. (September 10, 2025)
• The ECCHR, in cooperation with Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), and Al-Haq, filed a criminal complaint with the German Federal Public Prosecutor against a German national serving in the Israeli sniper unit known as the “Ghost Unit,” accused of carrying out field executions of Palestinian civilians between November 2023 and March 2024. (September 10, 2025)
• Peace Now stated that the framework agreement Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to sign to accelerate development in Maale Adumim and the E1 area represents an expenditure of more than 3 billion shekels and constitutes a provocation to Palestinians, as it blocks the only solution that can guarantee Israel’s future: the two-state solution. (September 11, 2025)
• The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) expressed deep concern over the humanitarian situation and violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, including the destruction of hospitals, citing reports that referred to “genocidal violence.” The Academy called for “immediate humanitarian action” and urged support for suspending Israel’s participation in the European Horizon research program. (September 11, 2025)
• The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), in cooperation with the European Legal Support Center (ELSC) and the Stop the War Coalition, filed a criminal complaint with British authorities seeking the arrest of Israeli President Isaac Herzog for his involvement in grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, including systematic starvation policies, the destruction of Gaza, and actions that may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. Despite the submission of evidence, the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) rejected the complaint, citing “insufficient admissible evidence.” (September 11, 2025)
• Al-Haq, Al-Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) appealed to the European Union to implement the Blocking Statute to protect those seeking accountability before the International Criminal Court for Israel’s crimes from U.S. sanctions. The organizations explained that the European Blocking Statute could serve as a powerful means of protecting both the ICC and those working with the institution from the application of foreign laws that conflict with international law. (September 11, 2025)

Research and academic studies (in Arabic and English):

• MDPI Journals published a research paper by Guadalupe Francia and Tabisa Arlet Verdejo Valenzuela titled: “The Rights to and Within Education in Armed Conflicts: The Case of Gaza 2023–2025.” (2025)
• The E3S Web of Conferences published a research paper by researcher Yordan Gunawan and others titled: “International Environmental Law Violations Conflict Analysis: Israel v. Gaza in 2024“ (2025)
• SpringerLink published a book chapter by researcher Ai Kihara-Hunt titled: “The Gaza War from the Perspective of International Law“ (2025)

Opinion Pieces and features

• The Jordan Times published an opinion article by Amer Al Sabaileh titled: “Between annexation and recognition: The new battle for the West Bank.” (September 7, 2025)
• Medium published an article by Eslam Elsewedy titled: “Weaponizing Ads: How Governments Use Google Ads and Facebook Ads to Wage Propaganda Wars.” (September 9, 2025)
• Middle East Eye published an opinion piece by Jonathan Cook titled: “In Gaza, Western colonialism has been unmasked.” (September 9, 2025)
• Al Jazeera published an opinion article by Haidar Eid and Jamal Juma titled: “Why a protective force for Gaza could be a dangerous idea.” (September 9, 2025)
• The Cairo Review of Global Affairs published an article by Omar Auf titled: “What Palestinian Statehood Must Mean to Mean Anything.” (September 9, 2025)
• Völkerrechtsblog published an article by Otto Spijkers and others titled: “Protesting and Teaching about Israel-Palestine in The Netherlands, and the Problem of Double Standards.” (September 10, 2025)
• El Salto published an opinion piece by Irene Graíño Calaza titled: “The US sanctions three major Palestinian human rights organizations; the sanctions come as Israel bombs the headquarters of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.” (September 10, 2025)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion article by Philip Weiss titled: “From European leaders to American media personalities, Zionism’s rationale is crumbling.” (September 10, 2025)
• Arab News published an opinion article by Osama Al-Sharif titled: “Price of Palestine’s recognition must not be Israeli annexation.” (September 11, 2025)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion article by Layth Hanbali and James Smith titled: “Western leaders aren’t cowards for continuing to support Israel — they’re committed imperialist ideologues.” (September 11, 2025)
• Haaretz published an editorial titled: “The World Is Setting a Price for Israel’s War in Gaza”. (September 11, 2025)

Legal Achievements/Impacts for Palestine

• Hundreds of actors, directors, and film industry workers signed a pledge not to screen films or appear in Israeli cinema institutions, nor to collaborate with them, including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters, and production companies involved in the genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people. (2025)

Human rights conferences and events

• A group of Palestinians submitted a 400-page legal petition to the British government, prepared by a team of lawyers, demanding that the United Kingdom take responsibility for the “unlawful occupation” of Palestine between 1917 and 1948, along with the war crimes and violations of international law committed during that period. This includes the Balfour Declaration and systematic violations against Palestinians. The petition calls for official recognition, an apology, and reparations, warning that ignoring the response may lead to a judicial review. (September 7, 2025)
• A group of legal and human rights scholars called on states and international organizations to ensure the safe passage of the “Global Sumud Flotilla” and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. (September 2025)
• More than 140 economists and academics from around the world signed a statement condemning Israel’s policy of using humanitarian aid as a weapon and imposing famine on the Gaza Strip. They noted that this policy is part of a systematic plan of annihilation and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. They called on the international community and governments to impose sanctions on Israel and boycott economic, cultural, and sports relations with it, while emphasizing the need to hold Israel accountable before international legal institutions. (September 9, 2025)
• Friends of Al-Aqsa Organization submitted a formal application seeking approval from the British Attorney General to file a criminal case against Israeli President Isaac Herzog, accusing him of encouraging the Israeli army to carry out indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian objects in Gaza. The organization also demanded an arrest warrant for Herzog during his visit to London. (September 9, 2025)
• More than 300 former European diplomats and officials sent a letter to EU leaders urging a far more decisive response to the war in Gaza, including a full suspension of the EU-Israel cooperation agreement and the recognition of the State of Palestine. (September 11, 2025)
• A group of doctors and nurses who survived the Sabra and Shatila massacre in 1982 sent an open letter to the U.S. President Donald Trump, warning of a new humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza resulting from the bombardment and siege since October 7, 2023. (September 2025)