PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE – Issue. 319

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

8 – 14 Feb. 2026

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

Prepared by: Nour Kharouf, Ahmad Al Rjoub

Translation: Mai Shaheen 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.

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

• The Palestinian Presidency, the Palestinian National Council, the Hebron Governorate, and the Hebron Municipality condemned the dangerous and racist decisions approved by the Israeli occupation cabinet aimed at deepening attempts to annex the West Bank. They considered these decisions a continuation of the comprehensive war waged by the occupation government against the Palestinian people and a deliberate undermining of signed agreements, foremost among them the Hebron Agreement of 1997. They affirmed that these illegal decisions are null and void and will not grant legitimacy to anyone. (February 8, 2026)
• The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club stated that recent revelations by Israel’s channel 13 regarding preparations and plans to implement the so-called “Death Penalty of Prisoner’s Law” constitute a clear prelude to entering a dangerous phase, marked by the imminent approval of the legislation. It added that this development comes amid ongoing systematic complicity, paralysis, and abandonment concerning that fate of thousands of prisoners. (February 9, 2026)

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

• The Israeli Finance Minister announced that the ministerial security cabinet had approved a series of decisions to amend land registration and property acquisition procedures in the West Bank. These measures would allow for the publication of land records, enable Israelis to purchase land directly, and expand monitoring and enforcement activities in Areas “A” and “B.” The decisions also include transferring the authority to issue building permits in Jewish settlements in Hebron, including the Cave of the Patriarchs, to Israeli authorities, as well as establishing an Israeli municipal administration for the Rachel’s Tomb complex in Bethlehem. (February 9, 2026)
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed orders revoking the Israeli citizenship of two Palestinian “Arab Israelis” convicted of stabbing and shooting attacks against Israelis, and deporting them to the Gaza Strip. This marks the first implementation of the February 2023 law allowing the revocation of citizenship from convicted “terrorists” and their deportation. (February 10, 2026)

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

• The League of Arab States, the Arab Parliament, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, as well as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Turkey, condemned the decisions of the Israeli cabinet, which aim to introduce fundamental and dangerous changes to the legal and administrative status of the occupied Palestinian territory, foremost among them the West Bank. They said the decisions constitute an unprecedented escalation in the annexation and displacement plan and pose a threat to the agreements signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel. (February 8–9, 2026)
• The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Russia, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, and the United Kingdom condemned the measures announced by the Israeli authorities aimed at tightening control over the West Bank, considering them illegal under international law and undermining the two-state solution. Meanwhile, China affirmed its rejection of any attempt to annex or violate Palestinian territory, and the Government of Japan expressed deep concern over these decisions, stressing its profound regret over the continuation of unilateral actions, including settlement activities. (February 10–12, 2026)
• The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, stated that independent foreign journalists and humanitarian workers are denied access to Gaza, affirming that these Israeli policies aim to further dehumanising Palestinians by denying their suffering and their existence. He called for lifting the information embargo. (February 10, 2026)
• The United Nations Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk, stated that Israel’s recent decisions to expand land expropriation in the occupied West Bank represent the latest step in a series of measures aimed at annexing Palestinian territory, in blatant breach of the right to self-determination. Meanwhile, UNRWA stated that the new measures undermine the future of Palestinians and constitute yet another blow to international law. (February 11, 2026)
• In a joint statement, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, and the European Commissioner for Crisis Management stated that the new measures approved by the Israeli Security Cabinet to amend land registration and ownership procedures in the West Bank violate international law and risk undermining ongoing international efforts to achieve stability. (February 11, 2026)
• The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany rejected a constitutional complaint against Germany’s export of weapons to Israel, affirming that the state’s obligations under international law do not create an individual right for persons to demand that the state take specific action. Palestinian and German human rights organizations that filed the complaint on behalf of a Palestinian citizen from the Gaza Strip stated that the decision reinforces the accountability gap and effectively means that, for individuals whose lives are threatened by German arms exports, access to German courts remains closed. They warned that the continued export of German weapons contributes to Israel’s violations of international law. (February 12, 2026)
• The European Union Missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah issued a statement stressing the need to respect and preserve the historical status quo at the holy sites, following their visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. (February 12, 2026)
• The UK Supreme Court ruled that the Home Secretary’s decision to ban the organization Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000 was unlawful, finding that it contradicted the government’s own proscription policy and violated fundamental rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. (February 13, 2026)
• The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, stated during the opening of the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Union that the genocide against the Palestinian people must stop immediately. He also called for lifting the Israeli blockade on humanitarian goods imposed on the besieged Palestinian territory. (February 14, 2026)

Publications of human rights NGOs:

• Adalah Center affirmed that the orders to revoke the citizenship of and deport two Palestinian citizens of Israel, announced as signed by the Israeli Prime Minister, constitute a grave violation of human rights and international law. The decision also contravenes Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 8 of the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. (February 10, 2026)
• Amnesty International criticized ministers and officials in France, Austria, Czechia, Germany, and Italy for calling for the resignation of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese. The organization said these calls were based on misleading information and a deliberate distortion of her statements, and urged them to issue a public apology and withdraw their demands. The organization’s Secretary-General, Agnès Callamard, stated that the attacks on Albanese are intended to silence her and divert attention from the ongoing genocide in Gaza, as well as from the system of apartheid and the unlawful occupation. (February 13, 2026)

Opinion Pieces and features:

• Security Context published a research article by Mandy Turner titled: “Colonial Administration, Counterinsurgency Pacification, and Disaster Capitalism in Trump’s Gaza Plan: These Are the Dangers Palestinians Face ”. (February 2026)
• Mondoweiss published an op-ed by A. Kayum Ahmed titled: “Liberal Institutions are Designed to AcknowledgePalestinian Oppression, but Not End It”. (9 February 2026)
• The New Arab published an analytical article by Mohammad Shehada titled: “How Israel Is Engineering the Failure of Gaza’s Ceasefire.” ( February 10, 2026)
• Le Monde published an article by Luc Bronner titled: “Israel’s retention of Palestinian bodies: A silent ‘hostage-taking’.” ( February 10, 2026)
• The New Humanitarian published an article by Riley Sparks titled: “Compliant Aid: Who are the Israel-Approved NGOs Scaling Up in Gaza?” ( February 11, 2026)
• Middle East Monitor published an opinion article by Ramzy Baroud titled: “First Gaza, then the world: The global danger of Israeli exceptionalism.” (February 11, 2026)
• Al Jazeera published an article by Sarah Shamim titled: “How Israel used discriminatory laws to strip Palestinians of citizenship.” (February 12, 2026)
• The Guardian published an editorial titled: “The Guardian View on Israel and the West Bank: the other relentless assault upon Palestinians”. (February 12, 2026)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion article by AbdelJawad Omar titled: “How Israel is eroding life for Palestinians in the West Bank.” (February 13, 2026)
• Middle East Eye published an opinion article by Asem Alnabih titled: “Gaza is not a natural disaster. It is the victim of genocide enabled by global inaction.” (February 13, 2026)

Human rights conferences and events:

• Palestinian and Australian legal groups, including the Australian Centre for International Justice and Al-Haq, filed a new complaint with the Australian Federal Police seeking an investigation into the role of Yaakov Hagoel, Chair of the Executive of the World Zionist Organization, in the organization’s illegal settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory. (February 10, 2026)