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

HR adviser calls for PLC members to resign


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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Human Rights advisor, Kamal Sharafi, has called on Palestinian lawmakers to agree to hold legislative elections.  According to Maan News, Sharafi argues that two thirds of ...   More...

PM Salam Fayyad lays out plan for unity


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In an exclusive interview with Ma'an Naws, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad lays out his plan for Palestinian Unity. The first point is to establish a coalition government to run the country, ...   More...

Fayyad calls for interim government and elections


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Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad calls for the establishment of an interim government to oversee government services and policies while preparing for and overseeing general elections. Read: Maan News, "Fayyad calls ...   More...

Abbas refrained from meeting Hamas in Damascus


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Under a two-day visit to Damascus, President Mahmoud Abbas would not meet with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, who lives in exile there. His discussions with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad focused on ...   More...

Presidential and PLC elections to coincide


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The Bureau of Fatwa and Legislation in Ramallah has stated that President Abbas' term will extend to the end of the legislative mandate of the second Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The ...   More...

Abbas repeats call for elections


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Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas has called for an unconditional dialogue with Hamas and a national dialogue to implement the Yemeni initiative. In a televised speech, Abbas repeated his intent to hold ...   More...

France met with Hamas cabinet ministers


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French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner confirms that government has had contact with Hamas, who won the Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006. France's former ambassador Yves Aubin de La Messuziere reportedly ...   More...

CEC prevented from operating in Gaza


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The Central Elections Committee regrets an apparent decision taken to prevent the CEC from operating in Gaza. The CEC affirms that it is an independent and professional institution and not ...   More...

Hamas may agree to early elections


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According Maan News Agency, Hamas-affiliates told the London-based Al-Hayat newspapars that Hamas has yielded to pressure from the Yemeni president to hold early elections if the caretaker cabinet is restructured. Hamas ...   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.