PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE – Issue. 321

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

22 – 28 Feb. 2026

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

Prepared by: Nour Kharouf, Ahmad Al Rjoub, and Murad Abu Murad

Translation: Firdous Abdelhameed and Mai Shaheen

Editing: Widad Hussein 

This weekly report reviews the legal dynamics of the Palestine question, and everything related to international law and Palestine. The report includes an account of the most important publications, activities and conferences related to Palestine at the local, regional, international levels. The report further covers decisions, decrees, and judicial orders affecting the Palestinian cause, whether made at the official, academic or public levels. The report aims to be a reference for monitoring, documenting and archiving the latest human rights developments related to Palestine, and to present them to individuals, researchers, study centers, and official, academic and legal institutions concerned.

To view this Issue of Palestine’s Legal Scene, please click here (5 minutes read)

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

• The Palestinian National Council (PNC) and the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates (MOFA) condemned the arson attack on the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Mosque in the village of Tell, west of Nablus, as well as racist slogans calling for the killing and expulsion of Palestinians. They characterized the incident as a serious crime and an act of terrorism, asserting that it forms part of a broader pattern of ethnic cleansing attributable to the occupying power. (February 23, 2026)
• The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine condemned statements by the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, regarding what he described as a biblical right of Israel to control the region extending from the Nile to the Euphrates. The Committee affirmed that relying on religious interpretations to justify colonial political projects contravenes the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter. (February 22, 2026)
• The Palestinian Land Authority affirmed that recent Israeli decisions concerning the land sector constitute a serious and unprecedented escalation targeting the national and historical rights of the Palestinian people. (February 25, 2026)
• The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission affirmed that the decision to expand the consular services of the U.S Embassy to include settlements established on Palestinian land constitutes a clear violation of international law, and called on the U.S administration to reverse the decision. (February 25, 2026)
• The Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations submitted a notification withdrawing the candidacy of Dr. Riyad Mansour for the post of President of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, citing the prevailing circumstances in Palestine. (February 25, 2026)

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

• Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz signed an order banning five Palestinian media platforms that cover developments in Jerusalem, accusing them of incitement and ties to militant activity. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Katz designated these platforms as terrorist organizations. (February 23, 2026)
• Former Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stated that he supports the Greater Land of Israel, citing biblical references and Zionist foundations. He explained that, in his view, the envisioned borders of Israel are the “borders of the Torah,” adding that support for a broad and complete territory must fall within the framework of security boundaries and political considerations. (February 23, 2026)
• The Israeli High Court of Justice temporarily froze the government’s decision to ban 37 foreign aid organizations from operating in Gaza, following a petition filed by 17 humanitarian organizations objecting to new Israeli rules requiring them to provide the names and details of Palestinian staff members, as well as information about their funding and operations. (February 27, 2026)

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

• The foreign ministries of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, France, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Egypt, Jordan, Luxembourg, Norway, Palestine, Portugal, Qatar, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, and Syria, along with the General Secretariats of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the League of Arab States, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, have expressed their rejection and condemnation of a series of recent Israeli decisions introducing wide-ranging expansions of Israel’s unlawful control over the West Bank, including the reclassification of Palestinian land as so-called Israeli “state land”, the acceleration of unlawful settlement activity, and the further entrenchment of Israeli administration. (February 21–23, 2026)
• Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares called for the adoption of a more resolute European position amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and continued settlement expansion in the West Bank. He added that the European Union has the necessary tools to exert pressure on the Israeli government, urging that they be used effectively to address the situation. (February 23, 2025)
• United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said during the opening of a session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, that “the current trajectory is stark, clear and purposeful: the two-State solution is being stripped away in broad daylight,” stressing that the international community cannot allow this to happen. (February 23, 2025)
• UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that a deeply troubling new report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) lays bare the destruction of neighbourhoods in Gaza and the expulsion of communities, which is tantamount to ethnic cleansing. He added that the report exposes violence and displacement in the West Bank and highlights the climate of impunity for violations by the Israeli authorities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, stressing that this must be denormalized. (February 23, 2025)
• EU High Representative Kaja Kallas reaffirmed the European Union’s support for Palestine and Gaza, stressing the need to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts, in cooperation with the United Nations and the Palestinian authorities. She underlined that Israel’s expansion of powers in the West Bank breaches international law and strikes at the heart of any future Palestinian state, warning that it threatens the two-State solution. Meanwhile, the European Commissioner for Equality and Crisis Management said that the European Union called for a major surge in aid to Gaza, the full opening of the Rafah crossing, the easing dual-use constraints, and full support for NGOs on the ground. (February 23, 2025)
• The Board of Peace proposed exploring the use of a “stablecoin” to boost Gaza’s postwar economy. The initiative is being spearheaded by an Israeli tech entrepreneur who is developing a US dollar–pegged cryptocurrency for use in the enclave as a solution to the liquidity crisis resulting from Israel’s ban on the entry of cash since the outbreak of the war in October 2023. (February 23, 2025)
• The United Nations Association–UK has called on the UK government to defend the UN special procedures and the mandate of special rapporteurs, following calls by several European countries for the resignation of Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese over a doctored version of her speech. (February 23, 2025)
• French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot emphasized that aid must reach civilians without hindrance, noting that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains dire despite the ceasefire, and reaffirmed that France remains mobilized alongside the civilian population. (February 24, 2025)
• The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem announced an expansion of its consular services, including routine passport services in the Efrat settlement. It further stated that it plans to conduct outreach in the coming months to the settlements of Beitar Illit and Beit Shemesh, as well as to Palestinian cities such as Ramallah and Israeli cities, including Jerusalem, Haifa, and Netanya. (February 24, 2025)
• Independent MP and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he received a letter from Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital in besieged Gaza, reporting that the Israeli military delivered approximately 66 boxes containing the skulls and mutilated remains of Palestinians killed during the genocide. He explained that medical staff, upon opening the boxes, found “remains with anomalous characteristics”, including the bodies of women whose remains showed evidence of surgical incisions, leading to allegations that internal organs had been removed. (February 24, 2025)
• France stepped back from its prior commitment to call for the resignation of Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, during a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council. During the session, the Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations limited her remarks to referring to “repeated and highly problematic statements” made by the Special Rapporteur and called on special rapporteurs to exercise restraint and moderation in line with their mandates. (February 25, 2025)
• Croatian President Zoran Milanović stated that the Israeli army is not a reliable partner, emphasizing that the Croatian army will not cooperate with it due to its brutal policies and unprecedented disregard for humanitarian law and human life in Gaza. Milanović also criticized attempts by some Croatian politicians to push for military deals with Israel. (February 25, 2025)
• The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stated that the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory constitutes a “human-made disaster,” according to a report issued by his office. Turk condemned Israel’s decision to suspend the operations of some 37 aid groups in Gaza, as well as the ban on UNRWA operations and the demolition of its premises in East Jerusalem. He added that recent Israeli measures expanding land expropriation consolidate the annexation of Palestinian territory, constituting a flagrant breach of the Palestinian right to self-determination. (February 26, 2026)
• The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) announced that its Executive Committee, at the level of foreign ministers, held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the illegal decisions of the Israeli occupation aimed at expanding settlement activity and annexation. (February 26, 2026)

Publications of human rights NGOs:

• The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS) held the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for the serious deterioration in the health of freed journalist Mujahid Bani Mufleh, who was subjected during his detention to deliberate medical negligence, the administration of inappropriate medication, as well as torture and systematic starvation. The Syndicate called on international institutions to open an investigation into the abuses Bani Mufleh endured. (February 22, 2026)
• The Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO) condemned the decision by the Israeli occupation authorities to close the Burj Al-Laqlaq Association in the occupied city of Jerusalem, considering it an assault on civil and cultural work and part of a systematic targeting of the Palestinian presence in the city. It called on diplomatic missions and the international community to assume their responsibilities and exert pressure to reopen the association’s headquarters, and guarantee the right of Palestinian civil society organizations to operate freely in Jerusalem. (February 23, 2026)
• The Priests Against Genocide network, comprising 2,200 priests from 58 countries, along with 23 bishops, archbishops, and two cardinals, called on the World Bank to suspend any participation in the so-called “Board of Peace,” warning that such involvement risks lending legitimacy to an initiative that lacks transparency and excludes Palestinians who are directly affected. (February 23, 2026)
• The Drop Site website published a joint investigation by Earshot and Forensic Architecture revealing that the Israeli army killed 15 Palestinian aid workers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Palestinian Civil Defense, and a UN staff member in a massacre in Gaza on March 23, 2025. The soldiers fired more than 900 bullets, some at point-blank range of one meter, after attacking the aid workers while they were in clearly marked ambulances and emergency vehicles. The investigation showed that the soldiers deliberately targeted the aid workers, while the Israeli military investigation refused to take any criminal action against the units involved. (February 23, 2026)
• Human Rights Watch sent a letter to the French Foreign Minister, expressing concern over his statements criticizing UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and calling for her resignation. The organisation noted that the comments were partly based on a doctored video and could fuel ongoing attacks by the Israeli government and its allies against the Rapporteur, while distracting attention from serious crimes being committed. Human Rights Watch urged France to take more effective action to prevent and address atrocity crimes committed by Israeli authorities. (February 24, 2026)
• Vanderbilt University announced that it has launched a formal inquiry into mathematics senior lecturer Tekin Karadag after receiving reports that he included a math problem referencing Israel’s acquisition of Palestinian land in a Survey of Calculus class. (February 24, 2026)
• The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS) expressed strong condemnation and absolute rejection of all measures taken by the occupation authorities against fellow journalists and media institutions in Jerusalem, considering them a new episode in a series of systematic crimes and violations targeting journalistic work and freedom of expression. The Syndicate confirmed that it has documented, to date, orders banning ten journalists and photographers from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, in addition to a decision issued by the so-called “Minister of Defense” prohibiting the work of four Palestinian media outlets and platforms and classifying them as “terrorist entities,” while pursuing their staff through arrest, summons, and intimidation. The Syndicate further stated that journalist Nesreen Salem was arrested and interrogated for several days under harsh conditions before her release. (February 24, 2026)
• B’Tselem reported that about 20 Israeli settlers raided the village of Khirbet Susiya, in the South Hebron Hills, attacking homes and cars with stones. B’Tselem stated that the village is subjected to daily violence by settlers and the military, with the backing of all Israeli state authorities. (February 25, 2026)
• The University of Southern Maine in the U.S. abruptly revoked access to a conference entitled “Consequences of Palestine” days before it was scheduled to begin, justifying its decision by citing the remote participation of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt), Francesca Albanese, who has been subject to U.S. sanctions since last year. (February 25, 2026)
• Al-Haq and Just Peace Advocates published a joint report, entitled: “Israeli Appropriation and Exploitation in Palestine Using Medjoul Dates”. (February 25, 2026)
• Yesh Din published a report titled: “Settlers in Uniform“, addressing the violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank while wearing military uniforms and carrying weapons. The report explained that Israel has provided thousands of settlers with military firearms and military uniforms, granting them lethal authority without adequate oversight mechanisms. (February 25, 2026)
• European Legal Support Center (ELSC), in cooperation with Forensic Architecture, published a report documenting 900 cases of restrictions and repression targeting Palestinian solidarity in the United Kingdom over the past six years. These cases include defamation campaigns, harassment, investigations, professional sanctions, arrests, job terminations, and visa cancellations. The report asserts that the repression is carried out through a network of governmental, institutional, and non-governmental actors,targeting students, academics, teachers, activists, and artists. It notes that allegations of antisemitism and support for terrorism are frequently used to justify such measures. The Center also launched a public database titled the “Britain’s Index of Repression,” illustrating how solidarity with Palestine has been curtailed across various sectors. (February 25, 2026)
• The former Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights at the United Nations and head of “United Staff for Gaza,” Andrew Gilmour, described the Board of Peace as “the supreme example of megalomania in history.” He also accused the United States of historically denying Palestinians the right to security, while reserving that right exclusively for Israel. (February 26, 2026)
• The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem / Society (ARIJ) published a report entitled “Engineering Settlement Through Israeli Military Orders”. (February 26, 2026)
• B’Tselem stated that a militia of settlers attacked the village of Qusra in the Nablus Governorate, West Bank, assaulting Israeli activists and injuring two of them. The organization explained that such attacks constitute “state violence,” carried out with the support, participation, and backing of the Israeli authorities, as part of what it described as the strategy of the Israeli apartheid regime aimed at consolidating and completing the appropriation of Palestinian land. (February 27, 2026)

Research and academic studies (in Arabic and English):

• Decolonization of Criminology and Justice published a research paper by the researcher Chris Cunneen, titled: “The war in Gaza and genocide of Palestinian people: Why should criminologists be engaged?”. (2025)
• The Middle East Journal published a research paper by the researcher Alexander Loengarov, titled: “The Use and Misuse of Palestinian Statehood Recognition”. (2026)
• Critical Studies on Terrorsim published a research paper by the researcher Fahad Ahmad, titled: “Colonial legacies and racialised threats: how the “terrorism” discourse stigmatises Palestine solidarity activism at Canadian universities”. (2026)
• The journal ATRAS Journal has published a research paper by researcher Maryam Othmani and others titled: “International Legitimacy of Recognition between a Stateless Territory (Palestine) and a Son-territorial State (Sovereign Military Order of Malta)”. (2026)

Opinion Pieces and features:

• Haaretz published an article by David Issacharoff and Vera Weidenbach titled: “How the European Union’s Antisemitism Czar Became an ‘Unofficial Israeli Ambassador’ ”. (February 22, 2026)
• Al Jazeera published an opinion piece by Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Rebecca O’Keeffe titled: “UEFA and FIFA may get a red card at the ICC for ignoring Israeli violations”. (February 22, 2026)
• The network published an article by Noura Erakat and Tariq Kenney-Shawa entitled: “After Gaza’s Genocide: What World Order?”. (February 23, 2026)
• Haaretz published an article by Amira Hass entitled: “In Area C, Faster Demolitions Clear the Way for Jewish Expansion”. (February 23, 2026)
• Informed Comment published an article by Benjamin Isakhan, Deakin University, and Eleanor Childs titled: “Israel’s Bombing decimated Gaza’s cultural sites, as UNESCO responds Tepidly”. (February 23, 2026)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion piece by Abdaljawad Omar titled: “What the Gaza genocide did to Palestinians’ ability to feel shock and wonder”. (February 24, 2026)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion piece by Michael Lynk titled: “Francesca Albanese is a powerful voice for justice, which is why the Israel lobby is trying to silence her”. (February 24, 2026)
• DAWN published an article by Michael Lynk titled: “The Broken Clock: Why, for the West, it Will Always be “Five Minutes to Midnight” for the Two-State Solution”. (February 25, 2026)
• Geneva Solutions published an article by Christos Christou, titled: “Today Israel wants Gaza staff data. Tomorrow it will be the end of independent aid everywhere”. (February 25, 2026)
• The Palestine Chronicle published an article by its staff entitled: “Modi in Israel: Strategic Partnership or Complicity in Genocide? – Analysis”. (February 26, 2026)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion piece by Shir Hever and Rhys Machold titled: “How the Gaza genocide is transforming Israel’s military relations with Europe”. (February 26, 2026)
• Haaretz published an article by Adam Raz, titled: “ ‘Terror Was Needed to Make Arabs Leave’: What the Israeli Army Did in 1948, Revealed”. (February 27, 2026)

Human rights conferences and events:

• Seventeen leading international humanitarian aid organizations (INGOs), together with the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), filed a joint urgent petition before the Israeli Supreme Court seeking to suspend a December 2025 decision by the Israeli authorities ordering the “termination of their activities” in the occupied Palestinian territory by the end of February under revised registration rules. They warned that suspending the organizations’ operations would trigger a humanitarian collapse and cause irreparable harm to the rights to life and health of hundreds of thousands of people in need. They further argued that the measures violate international law and Israel’s obligations as an occupying power. (February 24, 2026)
• Al-Haq, together with a number of other organizations, has filed a criminal complaint before the Swiss authorities against Nir Barkat, Israel’s Minister of Economy and Industry, holding him responsible for alleged international crimes, including the appropriation of Palestinian land, the imposition of an apartheid regime, and acts of genocide.(February 25, 2026)
• Al-Haq also submitted a detailed response to a United Nations questionnaire addressed to civil society organizations regarding initiatives aimed at early warning and the prevention of genocide. In its submission, the organization outlined its ongoing efforts to alert the international community to the escalating risk of genocide against the Palestinian people, particularly in the Gaza Strip. (February 25, 2026)
• The family of independent UN investigator and UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has sued the Trump administration over U.S sanctions imposed on her last year for her criticism of Israel’s policies during the war with Hamas in Gaza, saying the penalties violate the First Amendment. (February 26, 2026)
• More than 1,012 scholars and academics signed an open letter in support of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, emphasizing the importance of her work. The signatories explained that the increasing attacks against her threaten her independence and contribute to undermining fact-based understanding. (February 26, 2026)

Upcoming human rights opportunities and events:

• Al-Haq has announced volunteer and training opportunities for those interested in supporting its work to protect and promote the rights of the Palestinian people. The organization invited former volunteers and participants in its programs to apply and contribute in various areas, including translation, legal research, advocacy and engagement within the global movement, social media and design, as well as fieldwork and the documentation of human rights violations. The deadline for applications is 15 March 2026. (2026)