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Press Release A Delegation from the Italian Organization COSPE Visits Lawyers for Justice as Part of a Working Visit to Partners in the West Bank

On Sunday, 24 August 2025, Lawyers for Justice in Ramallah welcomed a delegation from the Italian organization COSPE as part of a working visit carried out by the institution to meet with its partners and field teams in the West Bank, under the framework of the OROF project. The delegation included: The COSPE delegation expressed particular interest in meeting Palestinian institutions working on human rights, with Lawyers for Justice being one of the key stops on their agenda, given its role in defending public freedoms and the rights of activists and human rights defenders in the West Bank. The meeting discussed avenues of joint cooperation, recent human rights developments in the Palestinian context, and the challenges facing civil society organizations amidst the escalation of violations. The delegation was also presented with an overview of the group’s work in monitoring and documenting violations and providing legal representation for victims. This visit comes within the framework of strengthening international solidarity, supporting Palestinian institutions engaged in the human rights field, and expanding joint advocacy and lobbying efforts at both local and international levels.

Position Paper Issued by Lawyers for Justice On the Presidential Decree Establishing a Committee to Draft a Temporary Constitution

The birth of the Palestinian National Authority on the land of Palestine was born from the womb of the Palestinian national struggle led by the Palestine Liberation Organization, and it expresses the sacrifices made to consolidate the inalienable national rights, represented in the right of return, self-determination, and the establishment of the independent Palestinian state—rights for which the Palestinian people have offered thousands of martyrs, wounded, and prisoners from among their best sons. Based on this national and historical legitimacy, the Palestinian Basic Law was adopted as the constitutional reference regulating Palestinian political and legal life. Article (115) of Chapter Eight stipulates: “The provisions of this Basic Law shall be applied during the transitional phase, which may be extended until the new constitution of the Palestinian State comes into force.” Accordingly, any attempt to bypass or replace it through presidential decrees and appointed committees constitutes a clear violation of this constitutional rule. First: Constitutional and Legal Issues Second: Affirmation of Rights and Freedoms Chapter Two of the Basic Law (Articles 9–33) enshrines a set of fundamental rights and freedoms that form the cornerstone of any democratic system: equality, personal freedom, the right to a fair trial, prohibition of torture, freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of movement, the right to education and work, the right to union and political organization, and freedom of the press, alongside other social, economic, and humanitarian rights.These rights are binding and must be respected under the Basic Law, and may not be diminished or unilaterally reformulated in a way that threatens their essence. Third: National and Political Implications 1- Deepening of political division if a temporary constitution is imposed without consensus and in disregard of the prevailing national and political reality, rendering it theoretical, disconnected from practice, and ultimately unenforceable. 2- Damage to Palestine’s international legitimacy through entrenching unilateral practices that undermine democracy. 3- Undermining the national and historical rights affirmed by the Basic Law and its binding preamble. Fourth: Recommendations End Lawyers for Justice23 August 2025