PALESTINE’S LEGAL SCENE – Issue. 354

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

11 – 17 October 2026

Issued every Sunday by Law for Palestine

Prepared by: Nour Kharouf

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)

Legal updates by official Palestinian bodies:

• The Vice President of the State of Palestine, Hussein Al-Sheikh, affirmed the government’s commitment to implementing the Basic Law, particularly the provisions concerning the holding of general elections. He called on the international community to pressure the Israeli occupation authorities to create an environment conducive to holding these elections by ending all repressive and terrorist measures carried out by the occupation army and its settlers. (October 12, 2026)
• The Governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority called on the International Monetary Fund to find a fundamental solution to the banking relationship with the Israeli side under neutral international auspices. (October 13, 2026)
• The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the terrorist crime committed by settler groups in the town of Mikhmas, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, involving the burning of the Sultan Ibrahim Mosque, residents’ property, and olive trees, as well as the writing of racist and threatening slogans on the mosque’s walls. (October 14, 2026)
• During his meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi asserted that the Palestinian issue represents “the greatest historical injustice of this century”, emphasising that a two-state solution is the correct path towards its resolution. He further called for the full reopening of the Gaza Strip to prevent the continued suffering of two million civilians and the worsening of the humanitarian catastrophe. (October 15, 2026)

Legal Updates by Official Israeli Bodies:

• The Israeli Supreme Court ordered the Israeli government to submit a response by November 23, 2026, regarding the possibility of expediting the return of more than 33,000 Palestinians displaced by the Israeli army from the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps. Meanwhile, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for instructions to be issued to the army not to cooperate with the court and not to allow the re-establishment of refugee camps. (October 12, 2026)
• Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that Israel needs to “wipe out Gaza”, claiming that he is not calling for genocide but rather for the elimination of Gaza’s existence as a “terrorist entity”, while describing the inhabitants of Gaza as “Nazis”. He further asserted that both Gaza and Huwara, a Palestinian village near Nablus, should not exist. (October 13, 2026)
• Israeli Rabbi Dov Lior issued a religious ruling permitting Jews to harvest olives belonging to Palestinians in the Palestinian territories, claiming that Arabs had not purchased the land from the Jewish people and that it still belonged to them. He argued that harvesting olives in areas far from Jewish communities was intended to demonstrate Jewish ownership of the land and fulfil what he described as the commandment of “conquering the land.” (October 17, 2026)

United Nations Statements and Publications:

• The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, submitted a report titled “Truth Under the Rubble: Media in the Time of Genocide” to the United Nations General Assembly, documenting the targeting, killing, arrest, and torture of Palestinian journalists, the destruction of media and communications infrastructure, censorship and incitement against Palestinians in Israeli media, as well as the role of international media outlets and digital platforms in marginalising the Palestinian narrative and promoting unverified Israeli narratives.
• UNESCO submitted a report on supporting the continuity of UNRWA’s educational activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, noting that approximately 728,000 children and young people in the Gaza Strip have been out of school for nearly three years, around 93% of school buildings require major repairs or complete reconstruction, and 95% of higher education institutions have been damaged or destroyed. The report explained that military raids, acts of violence, demolitions, checkpoints, road closures, and movement restrictions in the West Bank have hindered access to safe, quality education for more than 834,000 school-aged children.
• The UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, expressed her shock at the political inaction in response to the actions of Israeli settlers and soldiers in Palestine, affirming that terrorism has become a daily reality. She pointed to the burning of centuries-old trees and the poisoning of livestock in the West Bank, questioning when the European Union would take action against what she described as apartheid Israel. (October 12, 2026)
• UN experts called on the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to respect human rights and protect its staff, expressing concern over statements by its Director-General that downplayed the role of human rights in the organisation’s work and the non-renewal of the contract of a senior UN official in connection with his technical work on famine in Gaza. The experts affirmed that documenting starvation and analysing its implications under international law do not conflict with neutrality, but rather fall within the organisation’s mandate to combat hunger. (October 13, 2026)
• The Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General reported that safety and security teams had recorded airstrikes, shelling, explosions, and gunfire across various governorates of the Gaza Strip, particularly west of the so-called Yellow Line. It reiterated the United Nations’ position on the need to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. It added that UN partners had called on the Israeli authorities to end the crackdown on Palestinian civic space. (October 14, 2026)
• UNICEF warned of the continued deterioration of conditions for children in the Gaza Strip despite the ceasefire, reporting that at least 340 children have been killed and hundreds more injured since the ceasefire was announced over a year ago. Meanwhile, approximately 800,000 children remain displaced, and an estimated 60,000 children have lost one or both of their parents. (October 16, 2026)

Legal Updates by Regional and International Bodies:

• The German government stated that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains “catastrophic”, emphasising the need for comprehensive improvements in humanitarian aid delivery. It added that it continues its humanitarian diplomatic efforts with the Israeli government and relevant Israeli authorities to enhance humanitarian access, including addressing customs barriers and restrictions on dual-use goods, as well as facilitating the entry of essential items such as petrol and waterproof tents. (October 13, 2026)
• Australia and Jordan affirmed their commitment to the two-state solution in accordance with international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions as the only path to achieving a just and lasting peace. The two sides rejected any attempts to annex the West Bank or displace the Palestinian people and also reiterated their condemnation of the illegal Israeli settlement project in the “E1” area in Jerusalem. (October 14, 2026)
• The League of Arab States (LAS), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Arab Parliament condemned Colombia’s opening of an embassy in the city of Jerusalem, describing the move as a violation of relevant international legitimacy resolutions and a blatant breach of international law. The foreign ministries of Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, and Kuwait also condemned the action. Furthermore, a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of 21 countries, including Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, affirmed that this step contradicts UN Security Council resolutions and undermines efforts towards achieving a just peace. The ministers emphasised that any measure aimed at altering the legal or historical status of occupied Jerusalem, or recognising it as the capital of Israel, is null and void and carries no legal effect. (October 16, 2026)
• The European Council reiterated its condemnation of unilateral Israeli measures aimed at expanding Israel’s presence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. It also condemned the continued escalation of settler violence against Palestinian civilians. The Council demanded that Israel immediately reverse the expansion of settlements, which are illegal under international law, including by withdrawing the construction tender for the E1 area. It further warned companies that might participate in settlement construction of the potential legal, economic, and reputational consequences they could face. (October 16, 2026)
• Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot condemned an attack by masked settlers in Taybeh, in the occupied West Bank, against Palestinians, the Consul General, French and Polish diplomats, and Catholic representatives—an assault that also targeted a French mayor. (October 17, 2026)

Publications of Human Rights NGOs:

• 7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media published a contribution by researcher Areej Bishara examining how the Israeli occupation is being reshaped through the intersection of technological innovation with the Israeli military establishment, academia, and economy, within a system of digital settler colonialism and remote-controlled occupation. (October 5, 2026)
• Der Spiegel published a report featuring testimonies from ten Israeli soldiers who served in the Gaza Strip, addressing orders to shoot unarmed Palestinians, feelings of revenge, the destruction and burning of homes to prevent residents from returning, and the treatment of civilian victims as collateral damage. (October 11, 2026)
• Al Jazeerapublished a map showing how Israel has expanded its military control over the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire began in October 2025 by moving the concrete blocks marking the so-called “Yellow Line” westward, resulting in the displacement of Palestinian families and the further expansion of areas under its control. (October 12, 2026)
• Dozens of French doctors called on the National Council of the French Medical Association to demand the release of Palestinian doctors and healthcare workers detained by Israel, including Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, noting that they are being held without trial and subjected to torture. (October 12, 2026)
• BADIL Resource Center issued Working Paper No. 34, titled “Ending Complicity: The Case of the United Kingdom,” examining the forms of British support for Israel from the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and the British Mandate through to the genocide in Gaza. (October 13, 2026).
• The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate warned of a large-scale campaign waged by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian journalists across the West Bank and Jerusalem, in an attempt to suppress the truth and prevent the reporting of crimes and violations committed by the occupation and settler militias, as an extension of the comprehensive media genocide carried out by the occupation in the Gaza Strip. (October 14, 2026)
• Israeli lawyer Eitay Mack, on behalf of the “Tag Meir” coalition,submitted a request to the Inspector General of the Israeli Police to open a criminal investigation into Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on suspicion of incitement to genocide, violence, terrorism, and racism, following statements in which he called for “wiping out Gaza” and described Gaza’s residents as “Nazis”. (October 14, 2026)
• The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society condemned the continued targeting of human rights organisations and civil society institutions by the Israeli occupation authorities through raids on their premises and the arrest of their staff, warning of the escalating persecution of human rights defenders and attempts to intimidate them and silence voices documenting violations. (October 14, 2026)
• The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society reported that more than 2,000 Palestinian children have been arrested since the onset of the genocide, while at least 350 children remain in detention under harsh conditions. (October 14, 2026)
• The group “United Staff for Gaza” expressed concern over the recent dismissal of Benjamin Davis, a longstanding senior staff member at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), following his expressions of solidarity with the victims of famine and starvation in the Gaza Strip and his mandated work analysing food security in the Strip. (October 15, 2026)
• Al-Haq sent an urgent appeal to eight UN Special Procedures and two UN Working Groups, warning of a grave escalation in settler attacks across the West Bank amid the protection afforded to the perpetrators by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). (October 15, 2026)
• The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate strongly condemned the criminal assault carried out by settler militias against American photojournalist Heidi Levine, who is contracted by The Washington Post, in the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, while under the protection of Israeli occupation forces. (October 16, 2026)

Opinion Pieces and Features:

• Al Jazeera published an analytical article by Stephen Quillen, titled: “If Netanyahu Goes, Does Anything Really Change for Palestinians?” (October 12, 2026)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion piece by Philip Weiss, titled: “News organizations should boycott Israel until it lets them into Gaza”. (October 12, 2026)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion piece by Jonathan Ofir, titled: “The Israeli witch hunt of Sami Abu Shehadeh exposes the lie of the ‘Jewish and democratic’ state”. (October 13, 2026)
• The BMJ published an opinion piece by Rubin Minhas, Neve Gordon and others, titled: “Sexual violence against Palestinians”. (October 13, 2026)
• Mondoweiss published an opinion piece by PAL-AWDA, titled: “Mayor Mamdani can stop the sale of stolen Palestinian land”. (October 16, 2026)

Legal Achievements/Impacts for Palestine:

• The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting U.S. government authorities, with the exception of President Donald Trump, from imposing civil or criminal sanctions on DAWN and the Taxpayers Against Genocide (TAAG) coalition for submitting evidence to the International Criminal Court or cooperating with sanctioned Palestinian human rights organisations and UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. (October 13, 2026)

Upcoming Human Rights Opportunities and Events:

• The University of Oxford announced the Palestine–Oxford Scholarship in Geography and the Environment, which provides full funding for a three-year doctoral (PhD) programme starting in October 2027. The scholarship is open to Palestinians living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as Palestinian refugees residing in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.