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deteriorated condition of the Gazan and West Bank legal systems under occupation, the
Palestinians recently have sought to seize the opportunity to determine the fate of their own legal heritage. To determine how this may be possible, we must look at what laws currently exist in the Palestinian territories. The law applied in different parts of the West Bank and Gaza strip is a combination of the various laws imposed on said areas throughout this century. Instead of each new law superseding the previous law, almost all of these laws remain in effect in the territories. Therefore, one would have to research multiple legal systems and codes to determine the law in one area. This is quite a confusing situation. The Palestinian legal system can be compared to a tossed salad, with layers of different laws and systems all mixed up into a confused mess. This situation in the Palestinian Territories is perhaps unprecedented in modern history.
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The scope of this article is to explain the legal history, context and development of law, the current fields of study of law in
Palestinian ruled territory, as well as the state of lawlessness in those territories. It is also to discuss the domestic and international positions on which set of laws
78:
question of whether the emerging state of
Palestine will be capable of overseeing a system of rule of law. This debate is important not only in the political arena but in the legal arena as well, since a viable state must have a legal system that is functional and reliable. Despite the historically
452:
system. The
Palestinian Authority operates under its own criminal law, such as its Penal Code. In addition, "the Palestinian Authority also imposes the death penalty pursuant to the PLO Revolutionary Penal Code, of 1979." The PNA utilizes both military and special, state security courts for most
61:
were originally enacted for the purpose of protecting the judicial administration and economic interests of
Palestine, and with a view to encourage settlement there." Such references to ancient Palestinian law do not apply to the Palestinian legal situation since at least 1948.
48:
Due to the changing usages of the terms "Palestine" and "Palestinian" throughout history, the term may also be associated with regimes that are not associated with the
Palestinian law of today. Examples include the discussion (in a reference work dating from 1906) of the
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Alongside every formal legal system in
Palestinian history, there existed a system of customary law known as "Urf", which means “that which is known” in Arabic. This was a system of rules outside the court system, which handles disputes based on traditional oral
31:
of the area. Palestinian law includes many of the legal regimes and precepts used in
Palestinian ruled territory and administered by the Palestinian Authority (West Bank areas A and B) and Hamas (Gaza Strip), which is not an independent nation-state.
675:
Ferstendig, David L. (October 2016). "Second
Circuit Dismisses Action Against Palestinian Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority Under Anti-Terrorist Act: Court finds there to be no general jurisdiction under
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of a future
Palestinian state. According to one report, "Palestinians had been requesting that the law be signed into effect since 1997, in order to formally guarantee a modicum of basic rights." It was enacted by the
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The laws that applied come from many jurisdictions through history: "Customary Law ... Ottoman Law ... British Law ... Jordanian Law ... Egyptian Law ... Israeli" law and even the informal strictures of the
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or the tradition (this is called "Divine silence"). Practices later innovated are also justified, since Islamic tradition says what the people, in general, consider good is also considered as such by
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Freedom of private religious practice. "Freedom of belief, worship, and performance of religious rituals are guaranteed, provided that they do not violate public order or public morals."
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The Palestinian Land Law is a law that prohibits Palestinians from selling land to Jewish citizens of Israel. The punishment for violators is the death penalty.
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which drafted laws to govern the Palestinian political life for the interim period." Following that, "the general elections in 1996 ... brought about the
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The term urf, meaning "to know", refers to the customs and practices of a given society. Although this was not formally included in Islamic law, the
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In the application of urf, custom that is accepted into law should be commonly prevalent in the region, not merely in an isolated locality;
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135:. It was amended on March 19, 2003 "to allow the creation of the Prime Minister Position in the Palestinian National Authority...."
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Creates "a democratic parliamentary system based on political and party pluralism" and a popularly elected President
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The Basic Law is introduced with "In The Name of God, The Merciful, The Compassionate", as are most documents in
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Rights to "be informed of the reasons for his arrest or detention", to contact an attorney, and a speedy trial (
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is the official religion in Palestine. Respect and sanctity of all other heavenly religions shall be maintained.
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341:." According to Abdul Hadi, the first step was the organization of "Palestinian civil society", that is, a
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is both controversial and unsettled; "neither the PLO nor the PA is recognized as a sovereign state by the
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also tend, with caution, to give precedence to custom over doctoral opinions of highly esteemed scholars.
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Protects against "discrimination because of race, sex, color, religion, political views, or disability".
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Shehadeh, Raja (1982). "The Land Law of Palestine: An Analysis of the Definition of State Lands".
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covered disputes such as contracts, family disputes, personal injury, and land matters."
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The Fruits of Faith: Palestine, Palestinians & International Law
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interpretation of laws from Palestine before 70 AD, also known as
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Palestinian National Authority § Crime and law enforcement
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For the most part, crimes and violent acts are considered
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and prohibition against taking without fair compensation
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States that "Jerusalem is the Capital of Palestine."
887:. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. p. 13.
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407:recognizes customs that prevailed at the time of
200:"Palestine is part of the large Arab World ... ."
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760:USAID government law website English translation
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365:Ottoman Land Code of 1858
267:Right to bodily integrity
229:Defines the official flag
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82:—
51:Talmudic
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