Palestinian Basic Law
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The Palestinian Basic Law

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

News & updates

Abbas to call elections if negotiations fail


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In a speech at the first meetiing of the Palestinian National Council (PNC) in 13 years, President Mahmoud Abbas said that he would press ahead with parliamentary and presidential elections ...   More...

Egypt plans new round of reconciliation talks


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Egypt will renew its effort to broker a unity deal between the various Palestinian factions and pave way for new elections. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has stated his intention to ...   More...

– Abbas plans elections in April


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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


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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 reopens referendum issue


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On a day of mourning for former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, President Mahmoud Abbas calls for a referendum to decide whether an early parliamentary and presidential poll should be held. Read: ...   More...

Arab capitals ponder Palestinian electoral issue


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Except Hamas and Jihad, all the Palestinian factions that have visited Cairo in relation with the recent meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo have recommended the formation of a ...   More...

Majority believes presidental term expires in 2009


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A new poll from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) indicates that almost two-thirds of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza believe that Abbas’s term in ...   More...

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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.