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
Jan 18, 20090

Abbas now considered ex-president

Minister of justice Mohamed Al-Ghoul in the de facto government in Gaza has issued a press release stating that "any actions, decisions or obligations made by former PA chief Mahmoud ...   More...

Dec 28, 20080

Palestinian president blames Hamas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blames Hamas for triggering Israel's offensive in Gaza by not extending a six-month truce with Israel. Hamas and Abbas' Fatah party have been at loggerheads since ...   More...

Dec 16, 20080

– Abbas will not seek second term

Acter consulting with regional leaders, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will reportedly not stand for reelection next year. Read: Haaretz, "Abbas says he'll call for elections in Gaza, West Bank 'very ...   More...

Dec 16, 20080

Abbas: Elections to be held “very soon”

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has stated his intention to schedule Palestinian elections "very soon" in the absence of reconciliation with the de facto Hamas government in the Gaza Strip. Abbas has said to ...   More...

Dec 11, 20080

Majority favours elections

According to a new poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, to thirds of Palestinians believe that President Mahmoud Abbas' term ends in January 2009. Three quarters ...   More...

Dec 4, 20080

Journalist slams appointing of Abbas as President of the Palestinian State

 «Hamas ‘coup d’etat’ in Gaza was in fact the result of a much wider, deeper and older political and military coup d’etat that is still ongoing to deprive Hamas from ...   More...

Dec 4, 20080

Allegations of torture from suspected Hamas activists

Palestinian security forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas are clamping down on suspected Hamas activists. Allegations of torture and abuse of legal procedures are increasing. The majority of complains involve ...   More...

Sep 9, 20080

Erekat denies Abbas’ plans to dissolve PLC

Saeb Erekat, chief negotiator of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) denies reports that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas plans to disband the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Read: Maan News, "Erekat denies ...   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.