Palestine

• The Palestinian Basic Law of 2003, as amended, which acts as an interim constitution
• Laws made by the Palestinian Legislative Council and by decrees of the President
• Older laws that remain in force: Ottoman, British Mandate, Jordanian (West Bank) and Egyptian (Gaza)
• Islamic and Christian religious law in family matters

• A Supreme Court, with a Constitutional Court and a Court of Cassation
• Courts of first instance and magistrates' courts
• Sharia courts (for Muslims) and church courts (for some Christians) in family matters

A law degree, a period of training, and membership of the Palestinian Bar Association.

• Different laws apply in the West Bank and in Gaza, because of their separate histories.
• Israeli military law applies in parts of the West Bank under separate arrangements.
• Religious courts handle family matters for Muslims and some Christians.

Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Palestine as: Civil law, Muslim. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria.

• JuriGlobe: world legal systems (University of Ottawa)
• Constitute Project: constitution of Palestine

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.