Report

Customary Dispute Resolution Mechanisms in the Gaza Strip

NRC|Published 15. Mar 2012
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Palestine Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA) Law and policy
The objective of this report is to provide a better understanding of customary dispute resolution in Gaza and outline potential advantages and risks to programmatic intervention with the customary system.

The formal legal system in the Gaza Strip reflects a mixture of Ottoman, British, Egyptian, Israeli, and Palestinian influences. A legacy of occupation and conflict in the Gaza Strip, combined with the absence of a stable central authority and continuing power of clans and families, led formal judiciary to enjoy less credibility in dispute resolution. The challenges faced by authorities in creating a unified and official legal system are therefore significant.

This report has been written by the Norwegian refugee council (NRC), with support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA) and UK Department for International Development (DFID).