Lawyers for Justice, in its capacity as legal counsel for activists Jamal Suleiman (Al-Saber) and Mazeed Saqf Al-Heit, has filed a constitutional challenge before the Supreme Constitutional Court in Ramallah against Presidential Decree No. (4) of 2025, issued by President Mahmoud Abbas, concerning the formation of a committee to draft a “temporary constitution” for the transition from authority to statehood.
The constitutional appeal is grounded in well-established legal and national principles, which affirm that:
- The Palestinian Basic Law remains valid and binding until a new constitution is drafted through a democratic, consensual national mechanism, and not through a unilateral presidential decree.
- The Basic Law is not merely a legal document; it is the product of the Palestinian people’s struggle and sacrifices, led by the Palestine Liberation Organization, and a concrete embodiment of the right to self-determination and the building of an independent state.
- Constitution-making is a sovereign and comprehensive national process that cannot be confined to a specific committee or imposed by an individual decision; rather, it must be carried out through elected bodies that represent the will of the people, foremost among them the Palestinian Legislative Council.
- Fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Basic Law must not be undermined or re-drafted through decisions that threaten their essence and open the door to their violation.
- The contested decree carries serious implications for the unity of the Palestinian political system and risks deepening division by imposing a temporary constitution that lacks national consensus.
Lawyers for Justice affirms that the constitution belongs to the Palestinian people as a whole and must not be appropriated or engineered unilaterally outside an inclusive, participatory democratic framework.
Accordingly, we call for the suspension of the decree and the initiation of a comprehensive national dialogue to develop a unified vision grounded in popular representation and national legitimacy.
Lawyers for Justice
Ramallah – Palestine
17 December 2025
