Palestinian Basic Law
About the site
& contact info

The Palestinian Basic Law

A collection of various propsals and amendments to the Basic Law of Palestine.

News & updates

Possibility of fresh talks in November


Deprecated: Function the_content_rss is deprecated since version 2.9.0! Use the_content_feed() instead. in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

Warning: Undefined variable $excerpt in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/deprecated.php on line 1714
According to the Pan-Arab newspaper Asharaq al-Awsat, Egypt seeks to resume inter-Palestinian dialogue in December to reconcile Fatah and Hamas. Hamas pulled out from the previous round that was scheduled ...   More...

Fatah leads in poll


Deprecated: Function the_content_rss is deprecated since version 2.9.0! Use the_content_feed() instead. in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

Warning: Undefined variable $excerpt in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/deprecated.php on line 1714
According to a poll conducted by An-Najah University in Nablus, Fatah would take 31.4 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections against 14.4 percent for Hamas. The poll was published ...   More...

Fist fight in university


Deprecated: Function the_content_rss is deprecated since version 2.9.0! Use the_content_feed() instead. in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

Warning: Undefined variable $excerpt in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/deprecated.php on line 1714
A student brawl at the university in Khan Younis over mutual accusations of repression by Fatah and Hamas is symptimating of the deeper clash between the two parties. If dialogue ...   More...

– Abbas plans elections in April


Deprecated: Function the_content_rss is deprecated since version 2.9.0! Use the_content_feed() instead. in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

Warning: Undefined variable $excerpt in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/deprecated.php on line 1714
President Mahmoud Abbas plans to call for presidential and parliamentary elections in January, according to senor aide Yasser Abed Rabbo. The elections are scheduled for April. Read: Alertnet, "Abbas wants Palestinian ...   More...

Considers elections in West Bank alone


Deprecated: Function the_content_rss is deprecated since version 2.9.0! Use the_content_feed() instead. in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

Warning: Undefined variable $excerpt in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/deprecated.php on line 1714
If Hamas prevents the ballot from taking place in Gaza, President Mahmoud Abbas might hold presidential and parliamentary elections in the West Bank alone. Abbas has stated his intentions to hold ...   More...

Abbas may call for Palestinian elections


Deprecated: Function the_content_rss is deprecated since version 2.9.0! Use the_content_feed() instead. in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

Warning: Undefined variable $excerpt in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/deprecated.php on line 1714
If Fatah and Hamas do not reconcile by the end of the year, President Mahmoud Abbas has stated that he will call for elections in 2009. «If the dialogue does ...   More...

Israeli defense paper recommends blocking PA elections


Deprecated: Function the_content_rss is deprecated since version 2.9.0! Use the_content_feed() instead. in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

Warning: Undefined variable $excerpt in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/deprecated.php on line 1714
An Israeli defense establishment paper to be presented to the cabinet next month warns that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may «disappear» from the political arena after his presidential term expires ...   More...

Prospects for unity «darker than ever»


Deprecated: Function the_content_rss is deprecated since version 2.9.0! Use the_content_feed() instead. in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

Warning: Undefined variable $excerpt in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/deprecated.php on line 1714
While Hamas has taken the rap for boycotting the reconciliation talks scheduled for 9 November in Cairo, some say the move was justified. Read: AFP, "Prospects of Palestinian reconciliation 'darker than ...   More...

CEC receives 750 000 Euro


Deprecated: Function the_content_rss is deprecated since version 2.9.0! Use the_content_feed() instead. in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

Warning: Undefined variable $excerpt in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/deprecated.php on line 1714
The Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC) has received a grant of over €750,000 from the European Union. The money will be used to fund teacher training, voter registration and bolstering ...   More...

– Talks postponed, not cancelled


Deprecated: Function the_content_rss is deprecated since version 2.9.0! Use the_content_feed() instead. in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

Warning: Undefined variable $excerpt in /home/3/p/palestinianbasic/www/wp-includes/deprecated.php on line 1714
Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of the de facto cabinet in Gaza, states that the reconciliation talks in Cairo has not been cancelled, only postponed. According to Haniyeh, the talks will ...   More...

Next,

Resources
Search
About

Facts about the Basic Law

The Palestinian Basic Law is to function as a temporary constitution for the Palestinian Authority until the establishment of an independent state and a permanent constitution for Palestine can be achieved.

The Basic Law was passed by the Palestinian Legislative Council in 1997 and ratified by President Yasser Arafat in 2002. It has subsequently been amended twice; in 2003 the political system was changed to introduce a prime minister. In 2005 it was amended to conform to the new Election Law. The 2003 reform was comprehensive and affected the whole nature of the Palestinian political system, whereas the 2005 amendment was only minor and affected only a few paragraphs.

A parallel effort has been made to draft a permanent Palestinian constitution for an independent state, but this was shelved in favor of amending the existing Basic Law.


About this site

This website presents a collection of various drafts and amendments related to the Basic Law and other constitutional texts that have been compiled from various other sources.

You can also expect to find links to news items and reports that are of relevance to Palestinian constitutional law, the electoral framework, political reform and the PA branches of government.

The website was created by the Norwegian journalists Erik Bolstad and Tonje M. Viken in February 2008. The site is a private initiative and has no affiliation to any organizations or authorities.

All external links are purely for information purposes and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors of this site.

Information and contact details.