Palestine · Legislation
Legislation and primary sources
Where to find the authoritative text of the law in Palestine, and how to confirm it is still in force.
Sources of law, ranked
- The Basic Law 2002
- Interim constitution; Article 43 is the basis for decree-law legislation.
- Presidential decree-laws
- The dominant form of legislation since the Legislative Council ceased functioning in 2007.
- Jordanian and Egyptian-era law
- Jordanian law subsists in the West Bank, Egyptian-administered law in Gaza.
- British Mandate and Ottoman law
- Still relevant, particularly in land tenure categories.
- Sharia and church law
- Personal status for Muslims and for the recognised Christian communities.
The legislative process
The Basic Law contemplates bills passing the Legislative Council in three readings and being promulgated by the President. Since 2007, with the Council not sitting, legislation has been issued as presidential decree-law under Article 43, published in the Official Gazette al-Waqa'i al-Filastiniyya. Because Article 43 requires later presentation to the Council, the standing of the accumulated body of decree-laws is itself a live constitutional question.
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