PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE – Issue. 300

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

28 September – 4 October 2025

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

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

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

• The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the Republic of San Marino’s recognition of the State of Palestine, describing it as a courageous decision in line with international law and United Nations resolutions. (September 28, 2025)
• The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs and the Prisoners’ Club stated that the Israeli occupation regime has practiced slow execution policies against hundreds of prisoners for decades, with an unprecedented escalation since the start of the genocidal war. They said that the approval of the draft law “Executing Palestinian Prisoners” ahead of its first reading in the Knesset is unsurprising in light of the occupation regime’s extreme brutality. (September 28, 2025)
• President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement renewing his commitment to holding presidential and parliamentary elections within a year of the end of the war. He tasked the relevant authorities with drafting a temporary constitution within three months to guide the transition from authority to state. Abbas clarified that any party not adhering to the PLO program, international legitimacy resolutions, the two-state solution, and the Arab Peace Initiative will be barred from participation in the elections. He also directed the government to develop educational curricula in accordance with UNESCO standards within two years, emphasizing adherence to national principles and the rejection of violence and incitement. (October 3, 2025)
• The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel’s attack on the “Global Sumud Flotilla,” describing it as a blatant violation of international law, and affirming that Israel bears full responsibility for the safety and security of more than 470 participants on board. The ministry stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over Palestinian or international waters. (October 2, 2025)

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

• An Israeli Knesset parliamentary committee approved a bill to impose the death penalty for Palestinian detainees, paving the way for its first reading before the Knesset plenum, despite objections from the legislature’s legal The draft law would allow the death penalty to be imposed by a majority of judges. (September 28, 2025)
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel is working with U.S. President Donald Trump on Washington’s plan to end the war in Gaza. He claimed that Israel’s priorities include freeing the hostages, ending Hamas’s rule, disarming Gaza, and reshaping its future, while once again rejecting any role for the Palestinian Authority or a path toward a Palestinian state. (September 28, 2025)
• According to media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured significant changes to the U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, particularly the scope and nature of the IDF’s withdrawal and the disarmament of Hamas, while also establishing a security buffer zone around GAza’s perimeter to protect Israel. (September 30, 2025)
• Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir approved the establishment of the first prison designated for detaining [Palestinian] workers who enter Israel without official permits. (September 30, 2025)
• The Israeli army announced the seizure of 41 vessels in the flotilla attempting to break the maritime blockade imposed on Gaza. Around 400 activists were detained and taken to Ashdod Port for deportation, while all the seized ships are also being towed there. (October 2, 2025)

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

• The Foreign Minister of San Marino, speaking before the United Nations General Assembly, affirmed his country’s call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to civilians, and the immediate release of all detainees, announcing San Marino’s official recognition of the State of Palestine. (September 27, 2025)
• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the new U.S. initiative to end the war in Gaza is deeply welcomed, affirming his country’s strong support for American efforts to bring the fighting to an end. He urged all parties to unite and work with the U.S. administration to finalize the agreement and bring it into reality. Spain’s Foreign Minister also welcomed the initiative, stressing that the two-state solution remains the only path to achieving a lasting peace. (September 29, 2025)
• UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese, stated that while the UN General Assembly debates recognition and the two-state solution, the people of Gaza are struggling to find enough to survive. She called for stopping Israel: “No more weapons, no more trade.” (September 29, 2025)
• UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated that Palestinians in Gaza are facing the physical destruction of their lives as a result of unlivable conditions, according to the UN investigation committee. He emphasized that the agency has an “unparalleled” aid distribution network capable of reversing the course of famine and delivering critical assistance. (September 29, 2025)
• In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Algeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs affirmed his country’s support for U.S.-sponsored negotiation efforts to end the tragedies in Gaza, expressing hope that they would help bring an end to the Nakba and address the root causes of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. He stressed that the establishment of a Palestinian state is not optional but an absolute inevitability and an inalienable right. (29 September 2025)
• Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ramiz Alakbarov, told the Security Council that Israeli settlement construction is accelerating illegally, reducing the space of the Palestinian State and deepening the occupation. He warned that implementing the E1 plan would divide the West Bank between north and south and  increase the risks of displacement. (September 29, 2025)
• The spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that around half a million Palestinians remain trapped in Gaza City, confined to an area of no more than eight square kilometers. In the southern areas, about 70,000 people are expected to be packed into every square kilometer, with no space to even to pitch a single tent, leaving tens of thousands of families homeless on the streets. He added that famine has moved with the displaced from Gaza City to the central and southern parts of the Strip. (September 29, 2025)
• British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described Israel’s blocking of essential food and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip as a moral disgrace. (September 29, 2025)
• The United Kingdom Permanent Representative to the UN affirmed, at a Security Council meeting, that “the Israeli occupation’s annexation of the West Bank cannot be allowed to happen”, calling on the occupying authorities to halt the expansion of illegal settlements and and act decisively against extremist settler violence. She also urged Israel to release withheld clearance revenues. (September 30, 2025)
• US President Donald Trump launched a 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, which includes transforming the Strip into a demilitarized, “terror-free zone”; redeveloping Gaza through technocratic transitional committee supervised by a “Board of Peace,” chaired by Trump and composed of world leaders, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; and establishing an international stabilization force to train and support Palestinian police and secure the borders in coordination with Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. (September 29, 2025)
• The United Nations Human Rights Office said that Israeli military attacks on and around hospitals deprive access to life-saving care. It cited attacks since 16 September 2025 on health facilities, including Al Quds Hospital, Al Rantisi Children’s Hospital, and the Medical Relief Health Centre, stressing that hospitals are entitled to special protection under the international humanitarian law. (September 29, 2025)
• The United Nations Human Rights Office confirmed that rights of Palestinian children – including the right to life, health, education, freedom of movement, and other rights are being denied on a daily basis. The Office reiterated its call for accountability for these violations and for an end to the occupation. (September 30, 2025)
• The Spanish government announced that it will open investigations into companies promoting products or services in Spain originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, asserting that displaying such goods in Spain contributes to perpetuating Israeli settlement efforts and genocide. (September 30, 2025)
• Craig Murray, former Head of Maritime Section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Alternate Head of UK Delegation to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea Prepcom, stressed that any Israeli attack on the “Global Sumud Flotilla” on the high seas would be illegal. He explained that Israel has no jurisdiction beyond its territorial waters, and that the 17-year-old naval blockade is part of the long-term occupation found illegal by the International Court of Justice and the San Remo manual, which prohibit the blockade of humanitarian supplies. He pointed out that any attack by a state military warship on a vessel on the High Seas is an attack on the flag state of that vessel, obliging states, including the UK, to prosecute such attacks. (October 1, 2025)
• Israel faced international criticism after intercepting around 40 boats loaded with aid and more than 400 foreign activists attempting to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip. French Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that France demands guarantees for the safety of the participants in the Sumud Flotilla, consular protection, and their prompt return. The Irish Foreign Minister also expressed concern over the raid, stressing that the mission aimed to highlight a humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, the President of South Africa stated that the attack constitutes contrary to international law and violates the sovereignty of every nation whose flag was flown on the dozens of vessels in the flotilla, adding that it also violates an International Court of Justice injunction requiring that humanitarian aid be allowed to flow unimpeded. The Belgian Foreign Minister called for the Israeli ambassador to be summoned to provide clarifications. (October 1–3, 2025)
• The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, expressed that Israel’s illegal abduction of those who risked their lives to break the unlawful blockade on Gaza reveals the scale of the tragedy endured by the besieged population in what she called Israeli killing fields. She stressed that the greatest  shame lies with Western governments for their complicit inaction. (October 2, 2025)
• The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by extremists, considering them as a blatant violation of the legal and historical status quo in Jerusalem. (October 2, 2025)
• The World Health Organization reported that nearly 42,000 people in the Gaza Strip are suffering from life-changing  injuries, including one child for every four injured individuals. The organization noted that such injuries represent a quarter of all reported cases, which have reached 167,376 since October 2023, including more than 5,000 amputations. It stressed that an immediate ceasefire is essential to ensure access to life-saving healthcare. (October 2, 2025)
• The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs  OCHA issued an update on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank, confirming a rapid deterioration in living conditions as residents struggle to access food and water amid intensified bombardment and the collapse of essential services. (October 2, 2025)
• UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned that the Israeli government’s labeling of nearly 250,000 civilians trapped in Gaza and its northern areas as “terrorists or supporters of terrorism” paves the way for large-scale massacres targeting women, children, the elderly, and vulnerable groups. He affirmed that no one has the right to kill civilians, and that international inaction would amount to complicity in what the UN Commission of Inquiry has deemed as genocide. (October 2, 2025)
• UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher confirmed that fighting continues with access to the north remaining difficult, stressing the urgent need for an unimpeded humanitarian effort. (October 2, 2025)
• More than 30 law and human rights experts, including former UN Special Rapporteurs and leading international law professors, sent a letter to the president of European soccer’s governing body, urging the league to expel Israeli soccer teams from competition until “justice and accountability” are achieved for Palestinians. (October 3, 2025)
• UNICEF spokesperson James Elder stated that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is the worst ever, stressing that “Nowhere is safe in the Gaza Strip.” He described the conditions imposed on Gaza’s residents as “brutal and contradictory,” explaining while the north has been declared a “hostile ground,”  the so-called “safe” areas in the south have turned into grotesquely overcrowded and stripped of the essentials of survival. (October 3, 2025)
• UN experts stressed that any peace plan for Palestine must respect international law, beginning with the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and accountability for violations. While welcoming parts of the US plan to end the war in Gaza, they warned that key elements remain deeply inconsistent with fundamental rules of international law and the 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice which requires Israel end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. (October 3, 2025)
• S. President Donald Trump declared in a statement issued following Hamas’s response to his proposal that the movement had shown readiness for lasting peace by agreeing to release all hostages and hand over the administration of Gaza to an independent Palestinian authority, describing this as a positive and significant development. (October 3, 2025)

Publications of human rights NGOs:

• Synergy for Justice published a new report titled ”Sexual Violence as a tool of Settler Colonialism in Palestine:” structural, political and racialised violence against Palestinians, based on testimonies from survivors and civil society organizations. The report found that sexual violence is rooted in Israel’s settler-colonial system and used as a means of domination, humiliation and control — in prisons, at checkpoints, during raids, in medical institutions, and through surveillance and extortion. It stated that such violence forms part of a systematic pattern of abuse aimed at fragmenting Palestinian society and spreading fear. (September 25, 2025)
• Haaretz revealed a draft plan prepared by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair for Gaza postwar administration, proposing the establishment of the “Gaza International Transitional Authority” (GITA) under the UN Security Council mandate. According to the plan, the Council’s president would oversee diplomacy and security coordination with Israel, Egypt, and the United States, while the Palestinian executive authority would be assigned practical tasks on the ground without independence, remaining subject to the Council’s policies. (September 28, 2025)
• The Hind Rajab Foundation published a report titled How Israeli Football Culture Became a Weapon of Genocide, revealing how football in Israel has been used as a tool of racism, militarism and propaganda. The foundation stressed that this reflects not individual behavior but a systemic pattern linking sport with the broader project of settler colonialism and ethnic cleansing, calling for Israel’s suspension from FIFA, UEFA and all international sports federations. (September 28, 2025)
• The International Commission to Support the Palestinian Rights of the People (ICSPR) noted that the genocide in Gaza has continued for the 723 days, calling for urgent international intervention by activating the Uniting for Peace resolution and establishing an international protection force to halt the genocide. (September 28, 2025)
•  Doctors Without Borders (MSF) condemned the killing of its staff member Omar Hayek in an attack carried out by Israeli forces on the morning of October 2, 2025, on a street in Deir al-Balah, Gaza. The incident occurred as the organization’s team was waiting to board a bus heading to a field hospital, and also left four staff members seriously injured. MSF stated that all the victims were wearing vests clearly identifying them as medical and humanitarian workers, noting that Hayek is the fourteenth colleague killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. (October 2, 2025)
• Al-Haq and Al-Quds Community Action Centre submitted a joint communication to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), calling on it to use its Early Warning/Urgent Action mechanism to prevent genocide, declare Israel’s conduct as apartheid, and impose a full military embargo. The submission also highlights Israel’s repression of Palestinian civil society and the urgent need to end occupation, apartheid, and colonisation. (October 2, 2025)

Research and academic studies (in Arabic and English):

• The Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies published a research paper by Andrea Maria Pelliconi titled: “The Demographic Battle for Palestine in the Settler-Colonial Project and the Promise and Peril of International Law: A Review of The United Nations and the Question of Palestine: Rule by Law and the Structure of International Legal Subalternity by Ardi Imseis.” (2025)

• The University of Groningen published a research paper by Hernández Gleider and others titled: “Expert Legal Opinion on the Implications for the European Union of the July 2024 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion regarding the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” (2025)
• The Journal of Lifestyle and SDGs Review published a research paper by Bambang Irawan and other researchers, titled: “The Role of the International Court in Resolvingthe Genocide in Palestine.” (2025)
• The American Journal of Student Research published a research paper by Zihan He titled: “The Value of the Veto: Analysis of Resolution Content and Veto Reasoning on the Palestinian Question (2000–2025).” (2025)
• The Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System published a research paper by Yordan Gunawan and others entitled “The Effectiveness of International Law in Limiting Humanitarian Disasters in the Palestine-Israel Conflict.” (2025)
• The Journal of Common Market Studies published a research paper by Daniela Verena Huber entitled “Organized Hypocrisy and the Logic of Coloniality. Explaining the EU’s Divergent Response to Grave Violations of International Law in Russia/Ukraine and Israel/Palestine.” (2025)

Opinion Pieces and features:

• Mondoweiss published an opinion piece by Nick Riemer titled “Will Australian Courts Outlaw Anti-Zionism?” (September 28, 2025)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion piece by Mitchell Plitnick titled “Gaza genocide deniers are no different from Holocaust deniers, except that their denial abets the genocide itself.” (August 28, 2025)
• Oxford Academic published a research article by Joe Kelcey and Anne Irfan, entitled “Rescuing the UNRWA Archive: Saving Palestinian History amidst the Gaza Genocide.” (September 29, 2025)
• Haaretz published a report by Nati Tucker entitled “As Western Countries Recognize a Palestinian State, Smotrich Holds Back 1.8 Billion Shekels From the Palestinian Authority.” (September 29, 2025)
• Mondoweiss published an article by Declan Kearney titled: “The Role of National Liberation Politics and the Centrality of Palestine to a New Global Alternative.” (September 29, 2025)
• Haaretz published an opinion article by Michael Ratney titled: “Why Trump’s 20-point Plan for Ending the Gaza War Simply Won’t Work?” (September 29, 2025)
• Truthout published an article by Amy Goodman and Juan González titled “Nelson Mandela’s Grandson Speaks From the Aid Flotilla to Gaza.” (September 29, 2025)
• The Guardian published an opinion article by Josh Paul entitled “The Kushner-Blair Gaza plan is a moral atrocity – and a policy catastrophe.” (September 30, 2025)
• The New Humanitarian published an op-ed by Tammam Aloudat titled: “From the Global Sumud Flotilla to the UN General Assembly: Where are the humanitarians?”.       ( September 30,2025)
• THE NEW ARAB published an opinion article by Gerar Deeb titled: “When Trump’s Plan Brings History Back to ‘October 7’.” (October 1, 2025)
• The International Commission to Support Palestinian People’s Rights (ICSPR) published a research paper by Lubna Theeb titled: “The Criminal Use of Booby-Trapped Robots by the Israeli Occupation in the Destruction of Civilian Objects and the Killing of Civilians.” (October 1, 2025)
• The Turkish Anadolu Agency published an opinion article by Mutaz M. Qafisheh and Mazen Zaro titled: “E1 project as a gateway to annexation: A decisive test for international law” (October 1, 2025)
• Middle East Monitor published Oroub El-Abed titled: “The decay of international tools: Forced displacement and starvation in Gaza”. (October 1, 2025)
• The New York Times published an op-ed by Agnès Callamard and Federico Borello titled: “What Happened to Human Rights for Palestinians?”. (October 1, 2025)
• Mondoweiss published an op-ed by Mitchell Plitnick titled : “AIPAC’s and Israel’s influence is falling in Congress, two opposing letters show just how much.” (October 1, 2025)

Legal Achievements/Impacts for Palestine:

• The British Labour Party conference voted in favor of a motion submitted by trade unions, stating that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. the motion called on the government to employ all means reasonably available to it to prevent the commission of genocide in Gaza and fully suspend the arms trade with Israel and partnership agreement, as well as ensure individuals and corporations in the UK are not involved in aiding and assisting the genocide. (September 29, 2025)

Human rights conferences and events:

• Athletes 4 Peace issued a joint statement signed by dozens of professional athletes worldwide, calling on the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend Israel from all competitions until it complies with international law and ends the killing of civilians and mass starvation in Gaza. (September 29, 2025)
• A group of international community members issued an urgent appeal to the Swedish government to reaffirm its commitments under international law and to safeguard humanitarian efforts directed toward Gaza. The appeal responded to statements by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the Global Sumud Flotilla. The statement emphasized that any interception of the vessels or attacks on civilians constitute unlawful detention or abduction, urging Sweden to act immediately to protect its citizens and ensure the safe passage of humanitarian aid. (October 2025)

Upcoming human rights opportunities and events:

• Italian dockworkers warned of imposing a total trade blockade on Israel in support of the Global Sumud Flotilla heading to Gaza. Riccardo Rudino, a leader of the Port Workers’ Assembly (CALP), stated that if the boats are attacked, general strikes will be launched, and if Israel does not change its course in Gaza, a full trade blockade will follow. He emphasized that “Blocking things is the people’s weapon” (September 28, 2025)